lEOflGANIZED 


Origin  of  the  "Reorganized"  Church 

AND  THE 

Que&ion  of  Succession 


BY 


Elder  Joseph  F.  Smith,  Jr. 

" 


Salt  Lake  City 
THE  DESERET  NEWS 

1909 


COPYRIGHT,  1909, 

BY 
JOSEPH  F.  SMITH, 

Truftee-in-Truft  for  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Chrift  of  Latter-Day  Saints. 


L4  6   O  -7  V 
Bancroft 


INTRODUCTION. 

During  the  summer  of  1906  and  continuing  until  the 
summer  of  1907,  a  number  of  Reorganite  ministers  who 
were  engaged  in  missionary  work  in  Salt  Lake  City  and 
Ogden,  were  greatly  encouraged  by  one  or  two  apostates 
and  the  local  anti-"Mormon"  press.  Their  method  of  pros- 
elyting was  of  the  usual  nature,  a  tirade  of  abuse  and  false 
accusation  hurled  at  the  authorities  of  the  Church.  En- 
couraged by  the  anti-"Mormon"  help,  they  became  extreme- 
ly vindictive  in  their  references  to  President  Brigham 
Young  and  the  present  Church  authorities.  Their  sermons 
were  so  bitter  and  malignant — which  has  been  the  character 
of  most  of  their  work  from  the  beginning,  in  Utah — that 
they  raised  considerable  protest  from  many  respectable  citi- 
zens. Even  non-"Mormons"  declared  that  in  no  other  com- 
munity would  such  vicious  attacks  be  tolerated.  It  ap- 
peared at  times  that  these  missionaries  were  attempting  to 
provoke  the  "Mormon"  people  to  some  act  of  violence,  that 
it  might  be  seized  upon  and  published  to  the  world  through 
the  anti-"Mormon"  press  that  they  had  been  mobbed,  and 
thus  capital  for  their  cause  be  made  of  it.  Fortunately 
they  were  not  molested  to  the  credit  of  the  people  so  con- 
stantly abused.  One  of  these  meetings  was  attended  by  a 
prominent  gentleman  from  the  East  who  was  somewhat  ac- 
quainted with  Utah  and  her  people,  he  said,  in  conver- 
sation with  the  writer  a  few  days  later,  that  never  in  his 
experience  has  he  witnessed  such  a  thing  before.  "If  that 
fellow" — referring  to  a  Reorganite  who  has  since  been 
promoted  in  his  church — "should  come  to  our  town  and 
abuse  the  ministers  of  our  church,  calling  them  murderers, 


4  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

thieves   and   liars,   as   he   did   Brigham   Young   and   your 
churchmen,  we  would  kick  him  off  the  streets." 

While  this  agitation  was  going  on,  a  number  of  the 
young  people  of  Ogden  appealed  to  their  stake  presidency 
asking  that  some  reply  to  those  assaults  be  made  for  the 
benefit  of  those  who  were  not  gounded  in  the  faith,  and  in 
danger  of  being  deceived.  Acting  on  this  request  the  presi- 
dency of  the  Weber  Stake  invited  the  writer  to  speak  along 
these  lines  in  the  Ogden  Tabernacle.  The  invitation  was 
accepted  and  two  discourses  were  delivered,  the  first,  March 
10,  1907,  on  the  subject  of  the  "Origin  of  the  Reorganized 
Church,"  and  the  other  April  28,  1907,  on  the  question  of 
"Succession."  These  remarks  were  subsequently  published 
in  the  Deseret  News,  and  many  requests  were  received 
asking  that  they  be  published  in  pamphlet  form,  where  they 
could  be  preserved  by  those  who  had  to  meet  the  ministers 
of  the  "Reorganization."  An  edition  was  therefore  pub- 
lished in  the  summer  of  1907,  which  has  been  disposed  of, 
evidently  without  supplying  the  demand,  for  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1909  the  orders  for  the  pamphlet  were  so  great 
that  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  issue  a  second  edition. 
In  the  meantime  a  reply  appeared  in  the  Saints'  Herald, 
commencing  with  the  issue  of  June  30,  and  ending  with  that 
of  July  21,  1909.  This  reply  will  be  remembered  more  for 
the  unfair  way  matters  were  treated  and  the  fact  that  the 
greater  part  of  the  evidence  was  left  untouched,  than  for 
any  merit  in  the  argument  presented-  Wherever  it  was 
deemed  necessary,  for  the  sake  of  those  who  may  be  de- 
ceived, answers  are  given  in  this  work  in  footnote  references 
to  the  argument  set  forth  in  the  Reorganite  "defense." 
However,  there  was  nothing  presented  in  the  "defense"  that 
really  required  any  reply;  by  reading  carefully  the  dis- 
courses mentioned,  the  ordinary  reader  can  readily  per- 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

ceive  the  trickery,  deception  and  sophistry,  of  the  Reorganite 
reply. 

Part  one  of  this  book  contains  the  discourse  delivered 
in  Ogden  on  the  "Origin  of  the  'Reorganized'  Church;" 
part  two  contains  the  discourse  on  the  "Succession  in  the 
Presidency,"  and  part  three  deals  with  the  most  prominent 
differences  existing  between  the  Church  and  the  "Reorgan- 
ization," wherein  they  accuse  us  of  departing  from  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith.  This  matter  in  part 
three  is  added  by  request  of  a  number  of  parties  who  have 
had  to  meet  the  sophistry  of  the  Reorganite  missionaries. 

This  -book  is  not  put  forth  to  replace  any  other  work, 
neither  with  the  idea  that  it  will  turn  Reorganite  min- 
isters from  the  folly  of  their  ways;  but  with  the  hope  that 
some  honest  souls  who  have  been  deceived  may  see  the  light 
and  embrace  the  truth,  and  that  the  feet  of  the  weak  may  be 
strengthened  in  the  path  of  righteousness  that  they  may  not 
falter  on  their  way.  Neither  is  it  intended  to  be  an  ex- 
haustive treatise  of  the  subjects  it  contains;  the  idea  has 
been  in  the  main,  to  present  matters  that  have  not  been 
treated  elsewhere. — J.  F-  S.,  Jr. 


Origin  of  the  "Reorganized"  Church 

The  Question  of  Rejection — Salvation 
for  the  Dead 


Remarks  made  in  the  Weber  Stake  Tabernacle,  Ogden  City, 
March  10,  1907,  by  Elder  Joseph  F  Smith,  Jr. 


My  beloved  brethren  and  sisters  and  friends:  The 
great  majority  of  you  who  are  assembled  here  today  are, 
without  doubt,  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints,  and  I  suppose  that  most  of  you  have  a 
divine  testimony  of  the  truth  of  this  latter-day  work — the 
Gospel  of  Christ — which  we  have  received.  To  you  who 
have  a  testimony,  my  remarks  shall  not  be  addressed  partic- 
ularly, but  if  you  will  bear  with  me  in  what  I  have  to  say 
that  I  may  be  led  to  say  something  that  will  strengthen 
the  faith  of  those  who  may  be  weak,  or  that  will  encourage 
those  who  have  no  faith  at  all,  I  will  feel  amply  paid. 

I  am  not  here  for  the  purpose  of  assailing  any  man 
for  his  religion,  for  we  Latter-day  Saints  hold  that  every 
man  is  entitled  to  his  religious  views  and  should  have  the 
privilege  of  worshiping  according  to  the  dictates  of  his 
conscience,  let  him  worship,  how,  where,  or  what  he  may. 
And  we  will  protect  him  in  this  right.  But  we  are  opposed 
to  the  custom  adopted  by  certain  men  who  travel  through 
the  settlements  of  our  people  abusing  the  authorities  of  the 
Church,  distorting  our  doctrines  and  defaming  the  dead, 
for  the  purpose  of  destroying  the  faith  and  confidence  of 
the  Latter-day  Saints.  Therefore  in  treating  the  subject 


8  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

of  the  "Reorganized"  Church  this  afternoon,  it  will  be  in 
the  spirit  of  self-defense- 

We  will  first  consider  the  statement  made  by  the  senior 
senator  from  Michigan,  Mr.  Burrows,  in  his  speech  deliv- 
ered in  the  United  States  Senate  on  the  llth  of  last  De- 
cember. After  stating  that  the  membership  of  the  Church 
at  the  martyrdom  in  1844,  was  50,000  adherents,  he  contiues : 

"The  death  of  Joseph  Smith  in  1844,  carried  dismay  and  de- 
moralization throughout  the  entire  membership  of  the  Mormon 
Church,  scattering  its  adherents  in  divers  directions  and  for  the 
time  being  seemed  to  presage  the  complete  overthrow  and  dis- 
solution of  the  organization.  Recovering,  however,  from  the 
shock,  the  scattered  bands  soon  reappeared  in  various  parts 
of  the  country  and  promulgated  their  doctrines  with  increased 
zeal,  and  set  to  work  to  reassemble  and  reorganize  their  scat- 
tered forces,  resulting  finally  in  the  formation  of  what  is  now 
known  and  recognized  as  the  Reorganized  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  with  headquarters  at  Lamoni,  Iowa, 
and  presided  over  by  Joseph  Smith,  a  son  of  the  prophet." 

He  continues: 

"During  this  period  of  disintegration  one  Brigham  Young, 
who  had  identified  himself  with  the  'Mormon  Organization' 
as  early  as  1832,  a  man  of  indomitable  will  and  undaunted  cour- 
age, bold  and  unscrupulous,  seized  upon  the  occasion  of  the  de- 
moralization incident  to  the  death  of  the  prophet  to  place  him- 
self at  the  head  of  some  5,000  Mormons,  and  marching  over 
desert  and  mountain,  established  himself  with  his  adherents 
in  the  valley  of  Salt  Lake,  July  24,  1847,  then  Mexican  ter- 
ritory, where  he  undoubtedly  indulged  the  hope  that  the  new 
doctrine  of  polygamy  about  to  be  publicly  proclaimed  by  him 
might  be  promulgated  with  impunity  and  practiced  and  main- 
tained without  interference  by  the  United  States."* 


*This  statement  that  the  Latter-day  Saints  were  endeavoring 
to  get  beyond  the  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States,  which  is  re- 
peated so  often  by  anti-"Mormon"  writers  and  speakers,  in- 
cluding many  devotees  of  the  "Reorganization,"  who  vainly  at- 
tempt to  prove  the  disloyalty  of  the  Saints,  is  rather  astonishing 
in  the  face  of  the  facts  of  history.  The  exodus  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains  was  undertaken  of  necessity,  as  it  was  from  Missouri 
to  Illinois,  because  the  Saints  had  been  ruthlessly  driven  from 
their  homes  by  armed  mobocrats.  Notwithstanding  this,  the 
Church  came  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  because  the  Lord  willed 
it  so,  for  He  permitted  the  expulsion  from  Nauvoo  that  His  pur- 
poses might  be  fulfilled.  The  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  as  early  as 


SENATOR  BURROWS'  FALSEHOOD.  9 

Now,  this  is  not  true.  The  senior  senator  from  Mich- 
igan has  here  stated  the  position  of  the  "Reorganized" 
Church  as  capably  and  clearly  as  any  member  of  that  sect 
could  possibly  have  done,  and  in  exactly  the  same  way 

1842,  received  a  revelation  declaring  that  the  Saints  would  be 
driven  to  these  valleys.  That  revelation  is  found  in  the  history 
of  the  Church  for  Saturday,  August  6,  1842.  Our  friends  the 
Reorganites,  have  themselves  testified  in  their  more  sober 
moments  to  the  truth  of  this  grand  prediction.  In  a  history 
published  by  them  in  1880,  and  which  they  said  was  "the  aim 
of  the  publishers  to  place  within  the  reach  of  those  who  cared 
to  know,  a  more  correct  standard  from  which  to  determine  the 
character  and  work  of  Joseph  Smith,  the  founder,  under  divine 
direction,  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints," 
"And  is  the  cheapest  book  published  by  the  (Reorganized) 
Church."  They  record  the  following: 

"Just  at  this  time  (1842)  also  occurred  Joseph's  first  marked 
prophecy,  on  record,  concerning  the  removal  of  the  Saints  to 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  Says  the  Record: 

"Saturday  6th,  (August,  1842).  Passed  over  the  river  to 
Montrose,  Iowa,  in  company  with  General  Adams,  Colonel 
Brewer,  and  others,  and  witnessed  the  installation  of  the  officers 
of  the  Rising  Sun  Lodge  of  Ancient  York  Masons,  at  Montrose, 
by  General  James  Adams,  Deputy  Grand  Master  of  Illinois. 
While  the  Deputy  Grand  Master  was  engaged  in  giving  the 
requisite  instructions  to  the  Master  Elect,  I  had  a  conversation 
with  a  number  of  brethren,  in  the  shade  of  the  building,  on 
the  subject  of  our  persecutions  in  Missouri,  and  the  constant 
annoyance  which  has  followed  us  since  we  were  driven  from  the 
State.  I  prophesied  that  the  Saints  would  continue  to  suffer 
much  affliction,  and  would  be  driven  to  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
many  would  apostatize,  others  would  be  put  to  death  by  our 
persecutors,  or  lose  their  lives  in  consequence  of  exposure  or  dis- 
ease, and  some  would  live  to  go  and  assist  in  making  settle- 
ments and  building  cities,  and  see  the  Saints  become  a  mighty 
people  in  the  midst  of  the  Rocky  Mountains." 

"The  exodus  is  a  great  historic  fact.  It  would  do  violence 
to  history  to  expunge  this  record.  The  Twelve,  however,  may 
have  shaped  the  record  thus  to  fit  their  own  events.  It  is  not 
even  affirmed  that  Joseph  gave  such  a  revelation  to  the  Church; 
but  the  historical  landmark,  pointing  to  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
is  this  prophecy  to  his  Masonic  brethren,  on  the  6th  of  August, 
1842,  just  about  five  years  before  the  feet  of  the  pioneers  emerged 
from  the  last  mountain  gourge  into  the  beautiful  valley  of  the 
Great  Salt  Lake."  (Tullidge's  Life  of  Joseph  Smith,  Lamoni 
edition,  page  398-9). 

In   February  1844  a  company  was  selected  to  go  and  ex- 


10  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

that  they  have  stated  it  for  the  past  forty-seven  years.  Why 
he  was  led  to  make  such  a  statement  he  best  may  know,  but 
it  shows  the  careful  coaching  that  he  has  received  by  mem- 
bers of  the  "Reorganized"  Church  in  their  opposition  to  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 


plore  Oregon  and  California  (Utah  then  being  a  portion  of 
what  was  called  "Upper  California,")  for  the  purpose  of  select- 
ing a  site  where  the  Saints  could  build  a  city.  The  minutes  of 
this  meeting  say:  "At  a  meeting  of  the  Twelve,  at  the  Mayor's 
office,  Nauvoo,  February  21,  1844,  seven  o'clock,  p.  m.,  Brigham 
Young,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Orson  Pratt,  Wilford  Woodruff,  John 
Taylor,  George  A.  Smith,  Willard  Richards  and  four  others 
being  present,  called  by  previous  notice,  by  instruction  of  Presi- 
dent Joseph  Smith  on  the  20th  instant,  for  the  purpose  of  select- 
ing a  company  to  explore  Oregon  and  California,  and  select 
a  site  for  a  new  city  for  the  Saints." 

Jonathan  Dunham,  Phineas  H.  Young,  David  D.  Yearsley 
and  David  Fullmer,  volunteered  to  go;  and  Alphonzo  Young, 
James  Emmett,  George  D.  Watt,  and  Daniel  Spencer  were  re- 
quested to  go.  These  brethren  were  requested  to  meet  with 
the  council  on  the  following  Friday  evening  at  the  Assembly 
Room,  and  the  history  of  the  Prophet  continues:  "Met  with 
the  Twelve  in  the  Assembly  Room  (Friday  23rd)  concerning 
the  Oregon  and  California  Exploring  Expedition;  Hyrum  and 
Sidney  present.  I  told  them  I  wanted  an  exploration  of  all  that 
mountain  country.  Perhaps  it  would  be  best  to  go  direct  to 
Santa  Fe.  Send  twenty-five  men:  let  them  preach  the  Gospel 
wherever  they  go.  Let  that  man  go  that  can  raise  $500,  a  -good 
horse  and  mule,  a  double-barrel  gun,  one  barrel  rifle,  and  the 
other  smooth  bore,  a  saddle  and  bridle,  a  pair  of  revolving 
pistols,  bowie-knife,  and  a  good  saber.  Appoint  a  leader,  and 
let  him  beat  up  for  volunteers.  I  want  every  man  that  goes 
to  be  a  king  and  a  priest.  When  he  gets  on  the  mountains 
he  may  want  to  talk  with  his  God;  when  with  the  savage 
nations  have  power  to  govern,  etc.  If  we  don't  get  volunteers 
wait  until  after  the  election." 

On  this  and  other  occasions  shortly  following,  these  vol- 
unteered to  go:  George  D.  Watt,  Samuel  Bent,  Joseph  A. 
Kelting,  David  Fullmer,  James  Emmett,  Daniel  Spencer,  Sam- 
uel Rolfe,  Daniel  Avery,  Samuel  W.  Richards,  Almon  L.  Fuller, 
Hosea  Stout,  Thomas  S.  Edwards,  Moses  Smith  and  Rufus 
Beach.  There  were  also  others.  It  is  also  a  fact  that  on  the 
evening  of  June  22,  1844,  because  of  persecution,  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith,  his  brother  Hyrum  and  a  few  others  crossed 
the  Mississippi  river  with  the  intention  of  going  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  beyond  the  persecutions  of  their  enemies.  The  fol- 
lowing day  they  were  accused  of  cowardice  by  false  friends 


ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  EXPEDITION.  11 

In  a  pamphlet  published  by  that  organization  in  1864, 
the  following  appears : 

"The  greater  portion  of  the  Church  did  not  follow  this 
Brigham  Young,  and  in  obedience  to  the  revelation  in  relation 
to  gathering,  remained  around  about  the  land  of  Zion,  waiting 


who  declared  that  they  were  fleeing  from  the  flock  in  time  of 
danger.  This  falsehood  so  wounded  the  Prophet  who  had 
stood  in  the  breach  from  the  beginning  to  protect  the  Saints, 
that  he  returned  to  Nauvoo,  and  gave  himself  up  declaring  that 
if  his  life  was  of  no  value  to  his  friends,  it  was  of  none  to  him- 
self. Four  days  later  he  suffered  martyrdom,  sealing  his  testi- 
mony with  his  blood. 

Mr.  George  Derry,  himself  a  Reorganite,  in  the  Saints' 
Herald  for  January  31,  1906,  in  reply  to  the  editor  who  doubted 
that  any  such  intention  as  a  settlement  in  the  West  was  con- 
templated by  Joseph  Smith,  wrote  the  following: 

"In  reading  the  article  in  Saints'  Herald,  No.  46,  'The 
Editor  at  Home/  I  got  the  impression  that  the  writer  was  in 
doubt  as  to  the  correct  statement  of  S.  W.  Richards  that  he 
was  one  of  twenty-five  men  that  were  selected  by  Joseph  Smith, 
Jr.,  to  go  out  west  to  try  to  find  a  location  for  the  Saints  beyond 
the  reach  of  mobs — a  condition  no  doubt  desirable  in  those  try- 
ing times.  S.  W.  Richards  was  president  of  the  Church  in 
the  British  Isles  while  I  lived  in  London.  I  was  president  of  a 
branch  there  and  I  was  often  brought  in  contact  with  other  pre- 
siding officers  as  they  met  in  council  every  month.  The  London 
conference  was  composed  of  forty-two  branches,  was  often 
visited  by  the  president  of  the  mission  and  his  counselors.  I 
well  remember  S.  W.  Richards  and  others  making  the  same  state- 
ment at  one  of  our  monthly  meetings,  for  they  frequently  dwelt 
at  considerable  length  on  the  persecutions  and  trials  of  the 
Saints  in  that  day.  I  believed  the  statements  then — fifty-three 
years  ago.  I  have  no  reason  to  reject  it  now.  I  have  never 
heard  it  disproved.  The  testimony  of  S.  W.  Richards  is  as  true 
in  1905  [See  Era,  Vol.  7,  927]  as  it  was  in  1853,  that  the  company 
was  organized.  Recording  the  facts  would  not  add  to  their  truth- 
fulness. I  never  heard  that  the  company  went  west,  but  the  com- 
pany was  organized,  although  conditions  were  changed. 

"In  reading  of  the  wonderful  manifestations  given  in  Kirt- 
land,  I  find  the  following  vision  seen  by  Joseph  Smith:  'I  saw 
Brigham  Young  standing  in  a  strange  land  in  the  far  South 
and  West  in  a  desert  place  on  a  rock  in  the  midst  of  about  a 
dozen  men  of  color.  He  was  preaching  to  them  in  their  own 
tongue.  I  saw  the  twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb  that  now  are 
upon  the  earth  standing  together  in  a  circle,  much  fatigued. 
I  finally  saw  them  in  the  celestial  Kingdom  of  God.' 

"The  conditions  here  stated  very  much   resemble  the  con- 


12  ORIGIN  OF  "REORGANIZED"  CHURCH. 

for  the  Lord  to  again  reveal  Himself;  and  today  where  there  is 
one  Saint  who  was  in  the  Church  in  the  days  of  Joseph  the 
martyr,  now  associated  with  Brigham  Young,  there  are  ten  of 
those  old  members  standing  aloof  or  rejoicing  under  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  word  of  the  Lord  through  his  son  Joseph." 

SAINTS  FOLLOWED  PRESIDENT  YOUNG. 

And  this  is  not  true.  Now  I  intend  to  show  that  at 
the  martyrdom  the  Latter-day  Saints  followed  President 
Brigham  Young  and  the  Twelve.  And  too,  in  accordance 
with  divine  revelation.  For  we  learn  in  the  Doctrine  and 
Covenant,  that  the  quorum  of  Apostles  is  equal  in  authority 


ditions  existing  in  Utah  extending  four  hundred  miles  south 
of  Salt  Lake  City.  Here  is  certainly  strong  indication,  if  vis- 
ions are  reliable,  that  Brigham  Young  with  the  rest  of  the  apos- 
tles would  go  to  a  strange  land  beyond  the  bounds  of  civiliza- 
tion. And  in  view  of  the  mobbings  and  drivings  they  had  to 
endure,  is  it  any  wonder  that  they  should  seek  a  quiet  resting- 
place?  Who  shall  say  there  was  anything  dishonorable  in  or- 
ganizing a  company  by  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  to  seek  out  a  quiet 
resting-place  where  they  could  be  free  to  worship  God  in  peace, 
none  to  make  them  afraid?  The  writer  seems  to  have  serious 
doubts  as  to  the  truth  of  the  statements  of  the  two  men  he  met 
in  Salt  Lake  City,  because  we  have  no  record  of  the  preparations 
made.  I  never  heard  it  stated  that  the  company  did  go  west,  be- 
cause conditions  changed,  but  the  fact  still  remains — the  com- 
pany was  formed,  firearms  and  provisions  were  agreed  upon, 
but  as  to  what  happened  to  change  the  program  we  have  no 
record.  But  that  the  company  was  formed  under  the  direction 
and  choice  of  Joseph  Smith  is  beyond  doubt." 

As  early  as  1831,  the  Lord  in  a  revelation  (Doc.  &  Cov. 
49:25)  declared  that  "Zion  shall  flourish  upon  the  hills  and  re- 
joice upon  the  mountains,  and  shall  be  assembled  together  un- 
to the  place  which  I  have  appointed."  When  Brigham  Young 
therefore,  and  the  apostles,  lead  the  Church  to  the  valleys  of 
the  mountains,  it  was  in  fulfillment  of  the  word  of  the  Lord  to 
Joseph  Smith,  uttered  first,  in  March,  1831,  second  in  August 
1842,  and  moreover,  it  was  but  carrying  out  the  design  of  the 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith.  When  men  accuse  the  Saints  of  fleeing 
to  the  west  desiring  to  get  beyond  the  borders  of  the  United 
States,  and  of  being  disloyal  to  the  American  government,  they 
not  only  place  themselves  at  variance  with  the  facts  of  history, 
but  utter  a  miserable  falsehood  that  merits  only  the  severest 
contempt.  In  B.  H.  Roberts'  "Succession,  pages  109  to  126,  a 
complete  array  of  evidence  regarding  the  exodus  as  outlined 
by  Joseph  Smith  may  be  found. 


THE  SAINTS  COMMANDED  TO  GATHER.  13 

with  the  First  Presidency  and  it  is  their  right  to  take 
the  lead  of  Church  affairs  and  the  presidency  in  the  absence 
of  the  First  Presidency,  or  when  that  quorum  is  invaded  by 
the  death  of  the  President  of  the  Church. 

At  the  time  of  the  martyrdom  the  Church  in  and  about 
Nauvoo,  the  headquarters,  numbered  not  to  exceed  20,000 
souls.  This  information  is  based  on  the  best  possible  author- 
ity. And  while  this  was  not  all  the  Church  membership  in 
the  United  States,  it  was  the  great  bulk  of  the  Saints,  as  the 
following  will  show : 

In  the  Times  and  Seasons,  volume  2,  page  274,  in  a 
"Proclamation  to  the  Saints  scattered  abroad,"  and  signed 
by  the  Presidency  Joseph  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon,  and  Hyrum 
Smith,  dated  January  15,  1841,  we  read  the  following: 

"The  population  of  our  city  is  increasing  with  unparalleled 
rapidity,  numbering  more  than  3,000  inhabitants.  Every  fa- 
cility is  offered  in  the  city  and  adjacent  country,  in  Hancock 
county,  for  the  successful  prosecution  of  the  mechanical  arts, 
and  the  pleasing  pursuits  of  agriculture.  The  waters  of  the 
Mississippi  can  be  successfully  used  for  manufacturing  pur- 
poses, to  an  almost  unlimited  extent. 

"Having  been  instrumental  in  the  hands  of  our  Heavenly 
Father  in  laying  a  foundation  for  the  gathering  of  Zion,  we 
would  say,  let  all  those  who  appreciate  the  blessings  of  the 
Gospel,  and  realize  the  importance  of  obeying  the  command- 
ments of  heaven,  who  have  been  blessed  of  heaven  with  the 
possession  of  this  world's  goods,  first  prepare  for  the  general 
gathering,  let  them  dispose  of  their  effects  as  fast  as  circum- 
stances will  possibly  admit,  without  making  too  great  sacrifice, 
and  remove  to  our  city  and  county — establish  and  build  up 
manufactories  in  the  city,  purchase  and  cultivate  farms  in  the 
county — this  will  secure  our  permanent  inheritance,  and  pre- 
pare the  way  for  the  gathering  of  the  poor.  This  is  agree- 
able to  the  order  of  heaven,  and  the  only  principle  on  which 
the  gathering  can  be  effected — let  the  rich,  then,  and  all  who 
can  assist  in  establishing  this  place,  make  every  preparation 
to  come  on  without  delay,  and  strengthen  our  hands,  and  assist 
in  promoting  the  happiness  of  the  Saints.  This  cannot  be 
too  forcibly  impressed  on  the  minds  of  all,  and  the  elders 
are  hereby  instructed  to  proclaim  this  word  in  all  places  where 
the  Saints  reside,  in  their  public  administrations,  for  this  is 
according  to  the  instructions  we  have  received  from  the  Lord." 

Now,  this  shows  that  the   Saints  "scattered  abroad" 


14  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

were  commanded  of  the  Lord  to  gather  at  Nauvoo  and  in 
Hancock  county,  Illinois.  It  will  go  without  saying  that  all 
the  faithful  Latter-day  Saints  would  take  advantage  of  this 
commandment  and  therefore  the  faithful  Saints,  or  the  great 
majority  of  them  would  soon  be  located  at  Nauvoo.  Again 
in  this  same  volume,  page  434,  we  find  another  proclama- 
tion to  the  Saints  abroad,  signed  by  President  Joseph  Smith, 
in  which  he  says: 

"The  First  Presidency  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints,  anxious  to  promote  the  prosperity  of  said 
Church,  feel  it  their  duty  to  call  upon  the  Saints  who  reside 
out  of  this  county  to  make  preparations  to  come  in,  without 
delay.  This  is  important  and  should  be  attended  to  by  all  who 
feel  an  interest  in  the  prosperity  of  this  the  corner  stone  of 
Zion.  Here  the  Temple  must  be  raised,  the  university  be  built, 
and  other  edifices  erected  which  are  necessary  for  the  great 
work  of  the  last  days;  and  which  can  only  be  done  by  a  con- 
centration of  energy  and  enterprise.  Let  it  therefore  be  under- 
stood, that  all  the  stakes,  excepting  those  in  this  county  and  in 
Lee  county,  Iowa,  are  discontinued,  and  the  Saints  instructed 
to  settle  in  this  county  as  soon  as  circumstances  will  permit." 

This  was  on  May  24,  1841,  and  we  find  in  the  same  vol- 
ume, page  520,  an  epistle  from  the  Twelve  to  the  "Saints 
scattered  abroad,"  in  which  the  following  is  found: 

"We  say  to  all  Saints  who  desire  to  do  the  will  of  heaven, 
arise,  and  tarry  not,  but  come  up  hither  to  the  places  of  gath- 
ering as  speedily  as  possible,  for  the  time  is  rapidly  approach- 
ing when  the  Saints  will  have  occasion  to  regret  that  they  have 
so  long  neglected  to  assemble  themselves  together  and  stand 
in  holy  places  awaiting  those  tremendous  events  which  are  so 
rapidly  approaching  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

"It  will  be  recollected  that  in  a  recent  communication  from 
the  First  Presidency,  all  places  of  gathering  are  discontinued, 
excepting  Hancock  county,  111.,  and  Zarahemla  ir  Lee  county, 
I.  T.,  opposite  Nauvoo." 

At  the  conference  of  the  Church  held  in  October,  1841, 
Almon  W-  Babbitt  was  disfellowshipped  for  persuading 
Saints  who  were  emigrating  to  Nauvoo  to  remain  and  build 
up  Kirtland,  Ohio,  as  the  minutes  say,  "until  such  time  as 
he  shall  make  satisfaction."  This  shows  how  important  this 
doctrine  of  gathering  was.  Therefore  the  great  bulk  of  the 


THE  APOSTLES  SUSTAINED.  15 

Latter-day  Saints,  at  the  time  of  the  martyrdom,  were  located 
at  Nauvoo  and  its  vicinity. 

It  is  in  order  now  to  show  that  these  Latter-day  Saints 
sustained  President  Brigham  Young  and  the  Twelve. 

On  the  8th  day  of  August,  following  the  martyrdom,  a 
special  conference  was  held  in  Nauvoo  at  which  time  the 
claims  of  Sidney  Rigdon  and  the  rightful  claim  of  the 
Twelve  Apostles  were  presented  for  the  vote  of  the  Latter- 
day  Saints.  At  this  conference  President  Young,  in  ad- 
dressing the  Saints  said : 

"I  will  ask  you  as  quorums,  Do  you  want  Brother  Rigdon 
to  stand  forward  as  your  leader,  your  guide,  your  spokesman? 
President  Rigdon  wants  me  to  bring  up  the  other  question  first, 
and  that  is,  Does  the  Church  want,  and  is  it  their  only  desire 
to  sustain  the  Twelve  as  the  First  Presidency  of  this  people? 
*  *  *  *  AH  that  are  in  favor  of  this,  in  all  the  congregation 
of  the  Saints  manifest  it  by  holding  up  the  right  hand.  (There 
was  a  universal  vote.)  If  there  are  any  of  the  contrary  mind, 
every  man  and  every  woman  who  does  not  want  the  Twelve 
to  preside,  lift  up  your  hands  in  like  manner,  (no  hands  up.) 
This  supersedes  the  other  question,  and  trying  it  by  quorums." 
(History  of  the  Church,  Aug.  8,  1844.) 

Also  at  the  general  conference  held  the  following  Oc- 
tober the  Apostles  were  again  unanimously  sustained  bv  t.h^ 
vote  of  the  Church  as  the  presiding  quorum  and  Presidency 
of  the  Church.  (Times  and  Seasons,  5  :  692).  Mark  you  this 
was  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  the  Saints.* 

*In  several  of  the  revelations  given  to  the  Church  in  the 
beginning,  the  doctrine  of  common  consent  is  made  mandatory. 
In  the  revelation  of  April  6,  1830,  the  date  of  the  organization 
of  the  Church — the  Lord  says:  "The  elders  are  to  receive 
their  licenses  from  other  elders,  by  vote  of  the  Church  (branch) 
to  which  they  belong,  or  from  the  conferences."  ***** 
No  person  is  to  be  ordained  to  any  office  in  this  Church,  where 
there  is  a  regularly  organized  branch  of  the  same,  without  the 
vote  of  that  Church."  In  section  26,  verse  2:  "All  things  shall 
be  done  by  common  consent  in  the  Church,  by  much  prayer  and 
faith,  for  all  things  ye  shall  receive  by  faith."  See  also  Sec. 
124:144. 

The  Saints  by  vote  accepted  the  Twelve  Apostles  as  the 
presiding  quorum  of  the  Church  at  this  special  conference 
August  8,  and  again  at  the  regular  conference  in  October. 

2 


16  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

Now,  in  the  exodus  from  Nauvoo  these  Saints — the 
great  bulk  of  the  Church,  continued  to  be  true  and  faithful 
and  followed  the  Twelve  Apostles. 


This  fact  settled  the  matter  of  succession  according  to  the 
revelations.  These  authorities  and  their  successors,  have  been 
sustained  at  each  conference  of  the  Church,  twice  a  year,  and 
at  the  quarterly  conferences  of  the  various  stakes  four  times 
a  year  from  that  day  to  this.  The  question  of  succession  was, 
therefore,  settled  at  Nauvoo  when  the  assembled  Saints  voted 
to  sustain  the  Apostles  as  the  presiding  quorum  of  the  Church. 
The  attempt  of  any  party  or  parties,  before  any  other  body,  to 
set  up  the  Church  and  to  ordain  officers  in  conflict  with  the 
action  of  the  Church  on  the  dates  previously  mentioned,  would 
be  illegally  done;  just  as  much  so  as  if  in  the  municipality,  state 
or  nation,  after  the  majority  of  the  citizens  had  elected  officers 
(and  that  almost  unanimously)  to  serve  them,  a  few  disgruntled, 
defeated,  candidates  and  their  sympathizers  should  appoint  an- 
other election,  held  it  by  themselves  and  then  declare  that  the 
regularly  and  properly  elected  officers  were  rejected  and  un- 
authorized to  serve.  Such  a  thing  in  the  nation  could  be  no  more 
foolish  or  absurd  than  were  the  attempts  of  apostates  to  set  up 
a  new  organisation  of  the  Church  from  a  handful  of  disgruntled 
office-seekers  and  their  sympathizers.  In  one  case  there  would 
be  as  much  authority  as  in  the  other  and  no  more. 

But  the  contention  of  Reorganites  has  been,  that  the  apos- 
tles assumed  authority  and  powers  that  did  not  belong  to  them. 
That  their  duty  was  in  the  world  and  it  was  the  prerogative  of 
the  high  council  of  Nauvoo  with  William  Marks  and  coun- 
selors, at  their  head,  to  direct  the  affairs  of  the  Church.  They 
say: 

"That  the  Twelve  usurped  authority,  and  assumed  privileges 
and  duties  after  the  death  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  which  did  not 
belong  to  them,  is  seen  in  the  fact  that  their  mission  and  call- 
ing was  to  travel  abroad  among  the  branches,  and  throughout 
the  world,  preaching,  organizing  branches,  thus  building  up  the 
Church  outside  of  Zion  and  the  organized  stakes.  That  such 
was  their  mission  and  calling  may  be  seen  in  the  law  of  the 
Church  which  is  further  confirmed  in  the  teachings  of  the 
martyr  as  follows: 

"  'The  Twelve  will  have  no  right  to  go  into  Zion,  or  any  of 
its  stakes,  and  there  undertake  to  regulate  the  affairs  thereof, 
where  there  is  a  standing  high  council.  But  it  is  their  duty 
to  go  abroad  and  regulate  all  matters  relative  to  the  different 
branches  of  the  Church.'  Joseph  Smith's  History,  Mill.  Star, 
Vol.  15,  p.  261. 

"After  the  death  of  Joseph,  the  Twelve  superseded,  by  their 
arrogant,  despotic  acts,  the  standing  high  council  at  the  stake  of 
Nauvoo,  of  both  which  the  late  President  Wm.  Marks  was  presi- 


THE  APOSTLES  SUSTAINED.  17 

Governor  Thomas  Ford,  in  his  "History  of  Illinois, 
states  that  in  1846  there  were  16,000  Church  members  with 
the  Twelve  on  the  plains  of  Iowa,  while  the  1,000  that  re- 
dent.  And  this  usurpation  thus  begun,  has  been  perpetuated 
till  now;  entailing  darkness,  discord,  and  misrule  upon  that 
faction  of  the  Church."  (The  Successor  pp.  14,  15). 

Alexander  H.  Smith,  presiding  patriarch  of  the  "Reorgan- 
ized" church,  and  then  one  of  their  "apostles,"  made  the  follow- 
ing statement,  March  29,  1885,  in  Salt  Lake  City: 

"At  the  evening  meeting  his  remarks  were  directed  to  the 
subject  of  the  reorganization  of  the  church,  in  which  he  showed 
why  this  measure  became  necessary,  and  how  Brigham  Young 
and  the  Twelve  Apostles  usurped  the  leadership.  He  quoted 
from  declarations  of  Joseph  Smith  and  Brigham  Young,  and  the 
revelations  to  show  what  the  organization  and  order  of  the 
priesthood  were,  and  how,  in  case  of  death  of  the  prophet, 
the  word  of  the  Lord,  was  to  be  given  to  the  Saints.  It  was  to  be 
through  the  high  council  of  the  chief  or  center  stake  of  Zion,in  which 
jurisdiction  the  Twelve  Apostles  had  no  business  whatever. 
Their  work  and  powers  extended  only  to  matters  beyond  the 
borders  of  Zion.  When  the  prophet  was  killed,  therefore,  the 
right  and  duty  to  rule  fell  upon  the  high  council  at  Nauvoo,  of 
which  Elder  Marks  was  the  president.  But  Brigham  Young  and 
eight  others  of  the  Twelve,  brushed  this  order  of  the  priesthood 
to  one  side,  and  seized  the  reins  of  government  themselves." 
(Saints'  Herald,  Vol.  32:342). 

This  argument  set  forth  in  the  "Successor"  and  by  Alex- 
ander H.  Smith,  which  has  been  quite  universal  in  the  "Re- 
organized" Church,  would  not  be  quite  so  bad  if  it  was  not  for 
a  number  of  insurmountable  difficulties  and  objections  that 
stand  in  the  way.  In  the  first  place  the  objectors  fail  to  state 
that  the  powers  of  the  high  council  and  stake  presidency  at 
Nauvoo,  were  limited  to  the  affairs  of  the  stake,  and  outside 
of  that  they  held  no  jurisdiction.  Following  the  martyrdom,  the 
Church  was  considering  matters  that  affected  the  whole  Church 
and  not  merely  the  stake  at  Nauvoo.  The  Twelve  Apostles, 
therefore,  assumed  by  legal  right  their  proper  place  as  the  pre- 
siding quorum  of  the  Church,  and  were  so  sustained.  The  reve- 
lation on  Priesthood  (sec.  107)  says  the  Twelve  Apostles,  form 
a  quorum  equal  in  authority  with  the  First  Presidency  (verse 
24)  and  it  was  the  duty  of  the  Apostles,  not  only  to  ordain 
evangelical  ministers  (Patriarchs)  but  also  to  ordain  and  set 
in  order  all  the  other  officers  of  the  Church,  (verse  58).  We  read 
that  "God  hath  set  some  in  the  Church,  first  apostles,  sec- 
ondarily prophets,  thirdly  teachers,"  etc.  (I.  Cor.  12:28)  not 
first  high  councils  and  presidents  of  Stakes.  Neither  are  the 
duties  of  the  Apostles  confined  to  their  labors  out  side  of 
the  Stakes  of  Zion. 


18  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

mained,  a  small  remnant,  were  those  who  were  unable  to  sell 
their  property,  or  who  having  no  property  to  sell,  were  un- 
able to  get  away.  (History  of  "Reorganized"  Church  iii: 
164).  And  this  remnant  followed  as  soon  as  they  were  able. 
In  the  census  report  for  1850 — three  years  after  the 
settlement  of  Salt  Lake  valley,  we  learn  that  the  population 
of  Utah  was  11,380,  all  Mormons.  That  same  year  the 
population  of  Pottawattomie  county,  Iowa,  was  7,828,  all 
Mormons,  the  Latter-day  Saints  at  Kanesville-  Thus  we 
see  that  19,208  members  of  the  Church  who  had  followed 
President  Brigham  Young  in  the  exodus  from  Nauvoo,  were 
located  at  these  two  places.  And  that  is  not  all,  there  were 
other  settlements  of  the  Saints  at  Garden  Grove,  Mount 
Pisgah,  St.  Louis,  and  other  places  where  temporary  set- 
tlements for  the  Saints  were  formed  during  that  exodus. 
These  also  later  gathered  to  Utah.  Thus  we  see  that  almost 
the  entire  membership  of  the  Church  as  it  stood  in  1844, 
is  accounted  for  in  the  following  of  President  Brigham 
Young  and  the  Twelve.  That  the  Church  was  not  threat- 
ened with  dissolution  the  following  statistics  will  show — I 
have  not  at  hand  the  increase  of  membership  of  the  Church 
during  that  period  in  the  United  States,  but  the  increase  in 
Great  Britain  is  as  follows :  In  the  year  1844,  the  popula- 
tion of  the  Church  in  the  British  Isles  was  7,797.  Six  years 
after  the  martyrdom — December,  1850 — that  membership 
had  increased  to  30,747.  This  does  not  show  much  of  a 
dissolution  or  falling  away. 

WHO  FORSOOK  THE  CHURCH? 

I  do  not  intend  to  convey  the  idea  that  there  was  not  a 
falling  away,  an  apostasy,  at  the  time  of  the  martyrdom  and 
the  exodus  from  Nauvoo,  for  there  were  many  who  forsook 
the  cause,  but  compared  with  the  Church  membership,  they 
were  but  few.  Who  were  they?  Did  the  faithul  Saints 
forsake  the  Church  at  that  time?  Did  those  who  risked 
their  lives — who  were  shot  with  the  Prophet  and  Patriarch 
forsake  the  Church  ?  No !  We  do  not  find  the  faithful  Lat- 
ter-day Saints,  who  had  the  Gospel  rooted  in  their  hearts 
turning  away.  Then  who  were  those  who  forsook  the 
cause?  I  will  tell  you. 


WHO  FORSOOK  THE  CHURCH?  19 

In  the  parable  of  the  sower  the  Savior  said: 

"Behold  a  sower  went  forth  to  sow;  and  when  he  sowed 
some  seed  fell  by  the  wayside,  and  the  fowls  came  and  devoured 
them  up.  Some  fell  upon  stony  places  where  they  had  not  much 
earth;  and  forthwith  they  sprung  up,  because  they  had  no  deep- 
ness of  earth;  and  when  the  sun  was  up,  they  were  scorched; 
and  because  they  had  no  root,  they  withered  away." 

In  explaining  this  parable  He  said : 

"But  he  that  received  the  seed  into  stony  places,  the  same 
is  he  that  heareth  the  word,  and  anon  with  joy  receiveth  it; 
yet  hath  he  not  root  in  himself,  but  dureth  for  a  while;  for  when 
tribulation  or  persecution  ariseth  because  of  the  word,  by  and  by 
he  is  offended." 

These  were  they  who  forsook  the  Church  in  the  exodus 
from  Nauvoo.  Not  the  faithful  who  had  been  tried  and 
proved  and  not  found  wanting,  who  had  an  abiding  testi- 
mony of  the  truth.  Now,  let  us  see  what  Gen.  Thomas  L. 
Kane  has  to  say  on  this  subject.  He  visited  Nauvoo  about 
this  time  and  also  the  camps  of  Israel.  In  the  postscript 
to  the  second  edition  of  his  lecture  on  "The  Mormons"  he 
says,  page  86: 

"The  Mormons  as  I  saw  them,  though  a  majority,  were  but 
a  portion  of  the  Church  as  it  flourished  in  Illinois.  When  the 
persecution  triumphed  there,  and  no  alternative  remained  for  the 
steadfast  in  the  faith  but  the  flight  out  of  Egypt  into  the  wild- 
erness, as  it  was  termed,  all  their  fair  weather  friends  forsook 
them."  ***** 

"So  the  Mormons  have  been  as  it  were,  broken  and  screened 
by  calamity.  Their  designing  leaders  have  left  them  to  seek 
after  fortunes  elsewhere.  Those  that  remain  of  the  old  stock 
are  the  masses,  always  honest  in  the  main  and  sincere  even  in 
delusion;  and  their  guides  are  a  few  tried  and  trusty  men,  little 
initiated  in  the  plotting  of  synagogues,  and  more  noted  for 
services  rendered  than  bounties  received.  They  are  the  men 
whom  I  saw  on  the  prairie  trail,  sharing  sorrow  with  the  sor- 
rowful, and  poverty  with  the  poor;  the  chief  of  them  all,  a  man 
of  rare  natural  endowment,  to  whose  masterly  guidance  they 
arc  mainly  indebted  for  their  present  prosperity,  driving  his 
own  ox  team  and  carrying  his  sick  child  in  his  arms." 

We  have  the  statement  of  Sidney  Rigdon,  one  of  those 


20  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

who  forsook  the  cause.  It  is  found  in  his  Messenger  and 
Advocate  for  June,  1846,  pages  474-5,  and  a  portion  of  his 
statement  I  will  now  read : 

"Their  camp  [that  is  the  camp  of  the  exiles,  the  pioneers] 
is  in  the  western  part  of  Iowa,  some  200  miles  west  of  Nauvoo. 
Their  situation  according  to  our  informant,  is  as  miserable  as  it 
well  could  be.  Their  stock  of  provisions  they  took  with  them, 
is  getting  fast  reduced,  so  much  so,  that  they  can  proceed  no 
further;  neither  can  they  go  back.  They  are  there  without 
shelter,  other  than  tents  and  wagons,  and  their  tents  so  indif- 
ferent that  they  will  not  shed  the  rain,  which  has  been  inces- 
santly falling  since  their  arrival.  In  this  awful  condition  is  to 
be  found  the  aged  and  infirm,  the  mother  and  tender  infant. 
When  our  informant  left,  they  were  going  to  fence  in  some 
300  or  400  acres  of  land,  for  the  purpose  of  raising  a  crop  of 
corn  to  try  and  preserve  life.  The  remains  of  their  furniture, 
which  in  part  consists  of  beds  and  bedding,  they  are  sending 
off  to  Missouri  to  exchange  for  corn  and  bacon  to  sustain  life. 
*  *  *  *  This  said  Young  professed  to  be  a  follower  of 
Christ,  and  hold  communion  with  Him,  and  to  receive  reve- 
lations from  Him;  but  where  are  his  pretentions  now?  He  has 
got,  according  to  our  informant,  some  800  or  1,000  people  far  into 
the  wilds,  without  food,  without  shelter,  and  himself  being 
judge,  without  object.  *  *  *  A  state  of  wretchedness  be- 
yond this  is  not  easily  conceived  of.  Our  informant  says  when 
he  left,  which  was  some  three  weeks  since  [and  I  may  add  that 
it  is  quite  evident  from  this  account  why  he  left]  the  mud,  by 
reason  of  the  incessant  rains,  was  six  inches  deep  round  their 
camp." 

I  suppose  that  there  are  some  present  this  afternoon 
who  realize  the  hardships  through  which  the  pioneers  had  to 
pass  that  tried  men's  souls  and  that  only  the  faithful  were 
able  to  endure. 

I  have  now  shown  that  the  great  majority  of  the  Lat- 
ter-day Saints  followed  President  Brigham  Young  and  were 
true  to  the  Church.  We  get  a  good  idea  of  the  number 
who  scattered  from  the  testimony  of  William  W.  Blair. 

FEW  JOINED  REORGANITES. 

Of  the  members  of  the  Church  who  were  in  fellow- 
ship in  1844-6,  the  "Reorganized"  Church  has  received  no 
more,  and  likely  less  than  1,000  converts,  which  fact  shows 
that  the  apostasy  was  not  so  great  in  1844-6  as  has  been 


FEW  JOINED  REORGANITES.  21 

stated  by  the  Senator  from  Michigan  and  members  of  the 
"Reorganization."  This  statement  is  based  on  the  testimony 
of  William  W.  Blair,  one  of  the  original  members  of  the 
"Reorganized''  Church,  as  he  testified  before  the  United 
States  court  of  appeals  for  the  West'ern  district  of  Mis- 
souri, in  1894,  in  the  temple  lot  suit,  which  was  for  the  pos- 
session of  property  in  the  hands  of  the  "Church  of  Christ," 
or  "Hedrickites." ' 

Before  that  court  Mr.  Blair,  who  was  for  many  years 
a  member  of  the  presidency  of  the  "Reorganized"  Church, 
testified  that  "1,000  was  probably  too  high  an  estimate  for 
the  members  of  the  original  Church,  that  had  joined  the 
'Reorganized'  Church."  He  could  "approximately  say," 
that  1,000  had  joined  the  "Reorganized"  Church,  and  "pos- 
sibly that  estimate  was  too  large."  (Record  pp.  180,  181). 

ORIGIN  OF  "REORGANIZED"  CHURCH. 

We  will  now  consider  the  origin  of  this  "Reorganized" 
Church.  Many  people  have  been  lead  to  believe  that  this 
society  had  its  origin  at  the  martyrdom,  or  immediately  fol- 
lowing the  martyrdom.  But  this  is  not  the  fact.  Properly 
it  did  not  come  into  existence  until  1860 — 16  years  after 
the  martyrdom,  but  the  two  men  who  were  mainly  respon- 
sible for  the  organization  commenced  their  work  in  1852-3. 
These  men  were  Jason  W.  Briggs  and  Zenas  H.  Gurley. 
Perhaps  a  brief  outline  of  their  lives  would  be  interesting. 

Jason  W.  Briggs  who  was  really  the  founder  of  the 
"Reorganized"  Church,  or,  who  perhaps  did  more  than  any 
other  one  man  to  bring  about  that  sect,  was  born  June  25, 
1821,  at  Pompey,  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.  It  is  said  he 
joined  the  Church  at  Potosi,  Wis.,  about  1841,  but  most  of 
the  history  of  this  man  we  get  through  the  records  of  the 
"reorganization."  His  home  was  at  Beloit,  Wis.,  from  1842 
to  1854.*  He  remained  with  the  Church  under  the  leader- 


*If  Jason  W.  Briggs  joined  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints  June  6,  1841,  and  resided  in  Wisconsin  from 
that  time  till  1854,  he  cannot  be  considered  a  faithful  member 
of  the  Church,  "who  desired  to  do  the  will  of  heaven;"  for  in 
remaining  at  Beloit  during  all  these  years  he  was  going  contrary 


22  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

ship  of  President  Young  and  the  Twelve  until  the  year 
1846  (Reorg.  Hist.,  3  :737).  It  is  interesting  to  note  in  this 
regard  that  the  exodus  commenced  February  4,  1846,  so  we 
are  quite  safe  in  saying  that  this  man  was  one  of  "the  fair 
weather  friends." 

After  the  exodus  he  joined  James  J.  Strang,  and  in  his 
organization  labored  in  the  ministry  quite  extensively  (Re- 
organite  History  3;  737),  filling  short  missions  to  various 
parts  of  New  York  and  in  Wisconsin. 


to  the  word  of  the  Lord  given  to  the  Prophet  in  1841.  On 
January  15th  of  that  year,  the  Lord  said  through  the  Presi- 
dency, Joseph  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Hyrum  Smith,  and  on 
divers  other  occasions,  that  the  Saints  scattered  abroad  should 
come  to  Nauvoo  and  Hancock  county.  Here  is  the  command: 
"Let  all  those  who  appreciate  the  blessings  of  the  Gospel,  and 
realize  the  importance  of  obeying  the  commandments  of  heaven. 
*  *  *  first  prepare  for  the  general  gathering.  Let  them  dis- 
pose of  their  effects  as  fast  as  circumstances  will  possibly  admit, 
without  making  too  great  sacrifice,  and  remove  to  our  city  and 
county.  *  *  *  This  cannot  be  too  forcibly  impressed  on  the 
minds  of  all,  and  the  elders  are  hereby  instructed  to  proclaim 
this  word  in  all  places  where  the  Saints  reside  in  their  public 
ministrations,  for  this  is  according  to  the  instructions  we  have  re- 
ceived from  the  Lord.  (My  italics.) 

Again,  on  May  24,  1841,  the  Prophet  said  this  gathering  to 
Hancock  and  Lee  counties  was  "important  and  should  be  attend- 
ed to  by  all  who  feel  an  interest  in  the  prosperity  of  this  corner  stone 
of  Zion,"  and  the  Twelve  Apostles  a  short  time  later,  under  the 
direction  of  the  First  Presidency,  in  an  epistle  to  the  Saints, 
said:  "We  say  to  all  Saints  who  desire  to  do  the  will  of  heaven, 
arise,  and  tarry  not,  but  come  up  hither  to  the  place  of  gather- 
ing as  speedily  as  possible."  (My  italics.) 

Mr.  Briggs  visited  Nauvoo  once  in  1843,  but  again  re- 
turned to  Wisconsin  (Reorg.  Hist.  3:737)  where  he  lived  until 
1854,  either  defying  this  commandment  or  else  ignoring  it,  thus 
proving  he  was  not  in  harmony  with  the  Presidency  of  the 
Church,  and  was  one  who  did  not  "desire  to  do  the  will  of 
heaven."  If  he  had  been  faithful  he  would  have  gone  to  Nau- 
voo and  remained  there  and  assisted  in  the  building  of  the 
Temple,  but  he  did  not  do  so,  was  not  diligent  and  went  con- 
trary to  the  "instructions"  the  Presidency  had  "received  from 
the  Lord."  That  the  Lord  would  not  choose  such  an  unfaithful 
servant  to  build  up  His  Church,  give  him  revelations  and  cause 
him  to  stand  as  president  pro  tern.,  in  the  place  of  the  Seed 
of  Joseph  Smith,  which  Reorganites  claim  Jason  W.  Briggs 
did,  is  obvious  and  requires  no  further  comment. 


APOSTASY  OF  JASON  W.  BRIGGS.  23 

In  September  of  1849,  with  B.  G.  Wright,  he  organized 
the  Waukesha  branch  of  Mr.  Strang's  church  (Hist.  Re- 
organized Church,  3;  737-8).  Now,  remember  this  was  in 
September,  1849,  and  the  organization  of  this  branch  was  in 
the  Strangite  church.  About  this  same  time  he  also  organ- 
ized the  Beloit  branch  for  the  same  organization.! 

In  1850  he  left  Mr.  Strang's  organization  and  joined 
with  William  Smith,  who  had  himself  been  a  follower  of 
Mr.  Strang  until  excommunicated  from  that  organization. 
In  William  Smith's  church  Mr.  Briggs  accepted  the  position 
of  "apostle;"  but  at  the  time  of  the  disintegration  of  Wil- 
liam Smith's  church  in  1851,  he  withdrew,  and  in  1852 
joined  with  Zenas  H-  Gurley.  These  two  men  then  organ- 
ized what  was  called  at  the  time  the  "New  Organization  of 
the  Church,"  but  today  known  as  the  "Reorganized"  Church. 


tl  have  been  taken  to  task  for  saying  that  about  this  time 
Jason  W.  Briggp.  organized  the  Beloit  branch  for  the  Strang 
organization.  Reorganites  claim  that  the  Beloit  branch  was 
raised  up  in  1842  or  1843 — they  don't  know  just  when.  For  the 
sake  of  the  argument  we  will  grant  that  a  branch  was  organized 
at  Beloit  in  1842  or  1843.  If  so,  the  faithful  members  of  that 
branch  removed  to  Nauvoo,  agreeable  to  the  commandment 
of  the  Lord  previously  quoted.  Those  who  remained  at  Beloit, 
like  Jason  W.  Briggs,  were  not  faithful  in  that  they  did  not 
"desire  to  do  the  will  of  heaven."  And  what  has  been  said  of 
Mr.  Briggs,  will  also  apply  to  them.  Nevertheless,  between 
1846  and  1848,  Jason  W.  Briggs  organized  the  Beloit  branch 
for  Strang's  organization,  or  else  the  Reorganite  history  is  at 
fault.  They  say  that  in  1849  the  Beloit  branch  was  a  Strangite 
branch,  and  remained  with  Mr.  Strang  until  1850  (Reorg.  Hist., 
3:737).  Most  of  these  members — and  they  were  few — after 
they  left  the  Strangites  joined  the  organization  of  William 
B.  Smith  and  acknowledged  him  as  their  leader.  (Reorg.  Hist., 
3:738).  Reorganites  also  claim  that  both  Strang's  and  Wil- 
liam B.  Smith's  organizations  were  without  authority,  so  what- 
ever power  those  unfaithful  members  had  before  1844,  they  lost 
when  they  joined  these  apostate  organizations  of  Strang,  et  al. 
For  they  could  not  take  power  or  authority  with  them.  This 
truth  is  expressed  by  an  officer  of  the  Reorganized  Church 
who  said,  at  Galland's  Grove,  Iowa,  October  25,  1863:  "When- 
ever individuals  claiming  authority  under  the  church  as  or- 
ganized by  the  first  Joseph,  become  members  of  any  faction, 
they  immediately  become  divested  of  all  authority  except  that 
received  from  that  faction."  (True  Saints'  Herald,  Vol.  4, 
page  158). 


24  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

In  1886,  together  with  the  family  of  Zenas  H.  Gurley,* 
Mr.  Briggs  withdrew  from  the  "Reorganization,"  which  he 
had  begotten.  (Saints'  Herald,  33;  248-9).  His  reasons 
for  withdrawing  we  will  consider  later. 

Zenas  H.  Gurley  was  more  active  in  the  Church  pre- 
vious to  the  martyrdom.  He  was  ordained  a  Seventy  in 
Nauvoo  in  1844,  and  when  the  Twenty-first  quorum  of 
Seventy  was  organized,  April  6,  1845,  he  was  chosen  as  the 
senior  president,  he  being  the  oldest  of  the  presidents  chosen. 
He  was  a  native  of  New  York  state,  born  May  29,  1801, 
and  was  therefore  43  years  of  age  in  1844. 

We  know  something  about  this  man's  career  between  the 
martyrdom  and  the  exodus  from  the  minutes  u-  this  quorum 
of  Seventy.  And  as  this  record  contains  some  very  inter- 
esting items  I  will  read  a  few  of  them  here.  In  the  minutes 
of  November  2,  1845,  we  read: 

"President  Zenas  H.  Gurley  apologized  for  his  absence  the 
two  last  meetings.  He  then  enlarged  upon  the  subject  (i.  e., 
the  subject  before  the  quorum).  He  said  he  had  received  the 
assurance  of  an  addition  of  power  of  the  Priesthood  upon  every 
accession  of  authority  he  had  received.  We  ought  to  be  the 
best  men  living  in  consideration  of  our  privileges  as  members 
of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  enlightened 
as  it  was  with  divine  revelation.  He  exhorted  the  brethren  not 
to  aspire  but  to  rise  upon  their  own  merits  and  to  visit  the 
poor  in  their  afflictions." 


*In  a  vain  effort  to  blind  the  readers  of  the  Saints'  Herald 
the  "defender"  tries  to  make  it  appear  that  I  state  here  that 
Zenas  H.  Gurley  left  the  "Reorganized"  church;  but  from  the 
way  he  writes  it,  it  is  evident  that  he  doesn't  himself  believe 
that  any  such  attempt  was  made.  Zenas  H.  Gurley,  Sen.,  died 
August  28,  1871,  and  in  speaking  of  his  family  in  1886 — fifteen 
years  later — it  is  obvious  that  the  reference  does  not  include 
him.  That  Mr.  Gurley  left  them  when  he  got  on  the  other  side, 
I  have  my  reasons  to  believe,  but  at  no  time  in  the  entire  publi- 
cation has  he  been  confounded  with  his  son  of  the  same  name. 
The  son  is  mentioned  but  once  and  then  only  incidentally  and  un- 
avoidably in  connection  with  the  withdrawal  of  Jason  W.  Briggs 
from  the  "Reorganization."  The  family  of  Zenas  H.  Gurley 
mentioned  here  consisted  of  his  wife  Margaret,  sons  Zenas  H. 
(who  was  one  of  their  "Apostles")  Edwin  H.,  and  their  wives. 
The  attempt  of  the  writer  of  the  "defense"  to  throw  dust  in  the 
eyes  of  the  readers  of  the  Saints'  Herald  as  he  has  done  here  and 
at  many  other  points,  is  contemptible. 


ZENAS  H.  GURLEY  AS  A  SEVENTY.        25 

In  the  minutes  of  November  9,  we  are  informed  that 
President  Erastus  H.  Derby,  one  of  the  presidents  of  that 
quorum,  said : 

"Brother  Brigham  advised  and  counseled  the  Saints  to  get 
ready  for  emigration  in  May,  1846.  If  he  (Derby)  possessed 
the  wealth  of  the  whole  nation  he  would  not  stay  behind  the 
Church  going  into  the  wilderness." 

Immediately  following  these  remarks,  Zenas  H.  Gurley 
arose  and  said,  as  the  minues  read,  that  "He  confirmed  the 
same."  That  is,  he  too  would  rather  forsake  the  wealth  of 
the  whole  nation  than  fail  to  go  with  the  Church  into  the 
wilderness.  Then  continuing  his  remarks,  he  said : 

"Small  prototypes  of  great  national  events  were  given  by 
command  of  God,  by  the  ancient  prophets,  and  the  like  would 
probably  nowadays  distinguish  what  God  is  about  to  do  in  the 
earth.  *  *  *  Certain  characters  have  been  elected  from  be- 
fore time  to  fulfill  certain  purposes  in  the  earth,  called  though 
they  were  from  all  nations,  tongues,  and  ranks.  *  *  *  The 
order  of  free  masonry  was  outrageously  violated  by  the  people 
of  Hancock;  but  the  pledges,  obligations  and  vows  of  the  Lat- 
ter-day Saints  would,  if  adhered  to,  exalt  them  to  thrones  domin- 
ions and  power." 

This  was  in  relation  to  temple  work.  On  the  21st  of 
December,  1845,  he  said: 

"He  remembered  forcibly  the  sayings  of  the  first  presidents 
of  Seventy,  that  we  should  so  live  that  no  charge  can  be  brought 
against  us.  A  few  years  ago  the  men  in  high  standing  in  this 
Church  (the  Twelve)  were  as  little  as  we  are.  They  obtained 
their  exaltation  by  patient  submission  to  right,  and  minding 
their  own  business.  *  *  *  There  are  many  young  men  in 
this  quorum  able  to  travel  a  great  way.  You  will  be  called 
on  to  go,  also  to  receive  your  endowment.  Keep  always  meek 
and  a  teachable  spirit.  The  willow  always  bends  in  the  breeze 
and  is  also  firm  in  the  root.  Though  many  have  gone  out  from 
the  Church." — now  remember  this — "YET  it  increases  as  fast 
as  ever  and  evinces  to  the  world  as  great  affinity  and  identity 
to  the  eternal  plan  of  Jehovah  as  ever  it  did." 

This  does  not  sound  much  like  a  falling  away  or  a  dis- 
solution of  the  Church,  does  it?  And  this  is  the  testimony 
of  Zenas  H.  Gurley  given  before  he  left  the  Church.  Again, 
on  the  3rd  of  January,  1846,  the  minutes  say : 


26  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

"Zenas  H.  Gurley  enlarged  on  the  subject  of  liberally  donat- 
ing to  the  Church  necessities.  God  said  He  has  so  shaped  the 
scheme  of  salvation  as  that  to  be  saved  and  appear  approved  of 
God,  we  must  sacrifice  of  all  that  we  possess.  *  *  He  felt 
filled  with  the  Spirit.  The  course  the  Church  is  pursuing  has 
been  spoken  of  by  Jesus  Christ  and  the  holy  prophets  of  olden 
time." 

There  is  his  endorsement  of  the  course  of  the  Church. 
And  on  January  10,  1846: 

"Zenas  H.  Gurley  arose  and  said  that  the  presidents  of  the 
quorum  had  received  their  endowment." 

Continuing  he  said — mark  you,  he  was  one  of  those 
presidents : 

"He  observed  that  it  was  remarkable  for  an  unusual  out- 
pouring of  the  Holy  Spirit.  He  felt  for  the  quorum  that  they 
should  receive  their  endowment.  The  Church  authorities,  the 
quorum  of  Seventy  in  succession,  to  furnish  the  people  engaged 
in  the  endowment,  one  day  each,  and  he  wanted  the  quorum 
(Twenty-first)  to  acquit  themselves  from  every  obligation." 

It  may  be  interesting  to  know  that  this  man  and  his 
wife  were  endowed  in  the  Temple  January  6,  1846.  Here  is 
the  testimony  of  Zenas  H.  Gurley  in  relation  to  the  Temple 
ceremonies  when  he  was  in  full  fellowship  in  the  Church 
and  was  in  possession  of  the  spirit  of  his  calling.  At  that 
time  he  declared  most  emphatically  that  on  that  occasion  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  was  unusual  in  its  outpouring.  If  that 
is  true  and  he  could  testify  to  it  then,  there  cannot  be  any- 
thing so  very  bad  in  these  glorious  privileges  of  which  he 
testified.  In  later  years  when  he  had  lost  the  spirit  of  the 
Gospel  and  was  fighting  the  work  he  had  formerly  upheld, 
he  denounced  in  bitterness  these  sacred  ordinances  that  he 
on  this  occasion  sanctioned.  His  former  testimony  is  the 
one  that  is  consistent- 

On  the  17th  of  January,  1846,  the  minutes  say : 

"President  Zenas  H.  Gurley  arose  and  said  *  *  The  busi- 
ness before  the  meeting  was  the  arranging  for  a  donation  for 
the  benefit  of  those  of  the  Priesthood  engaged  in  the  Temple. 
(Not  on  the  Temple  but  in  it).  He  beautifully  observed  that 
it  was  his  design,  and  also  his  council's  to  exalt  the  Twenty-first 


APOSTASY  OF  ZENAS  H.  GURLEY.       27 

quorum,  and  the  quorum  should  reciprocally  return  the  favor; 
give  support  and  influence  towards  its  welfare." 

Then  on  the  25th  of  the  same  month : 

"President  Zenas  H.  Gurley  arose  and  said  that  the  business 
before  the  meeting  was  to  select  persons  to  receive  their  en- 
dowment. He  had  received  direction  to  select  10  or  12  to  go  in 
the  Temple.  He  desired  the  brethren  not  to  think  it  was 
partiality  to  make  this  selection.  The  most  important  point 
to  be  considered  was  to  learn  obedience.  This  was  the  prin- 
ciple taught  by  Jesus  Christ." 

He  then  proceeded  to  name  the  brethren  for  this  pur- 
pose, and  continuing  his  remarks  he  said : 

"The  Saints  who  have  passed  through  the  trials  of  the 
Church  were  generally  rooted  and  grounded  in  love  and  have 
a  witness  in  their  hearts  or  they  would  not  have  remained." 

And  I  say  amen  to  that.  I  wish  with  all  my  soul  that 
Zenas  H.  Gurley  had  been  one  of  them  for  his  own  sake,  for 
it  was  but  10  days  after  he  made  this  utterance,  that  the 
exodus  from  Nauvoo  began,  and  this  is  the  last  reference  we 
have  of  Zenas  H.  Gurley  while  connected  with  the  Church ! 
What  became  of  him  ?  "Because  he  had  no  root  he  withered 
away."  The  terrible  trials  the  Saints  were  forced  to  undergo 
in  the  wilderness  were  too  great  for  him ;  he  could  not  stand 
the  test.  And  while  he  had  declared  that  he  would  go  with 
the  Saints  even  if  it  required  that  he  should  sacrifice  the 
wealth  of  the  whole  nation,  when  put  to  the  actual  test,  his 
heart  failed  him  and  he  sought  safety  in  flight,  he  sought  his 
life,  but  lost  the  life  eternal! 

The  next  reference  we  have  of  him  in  the  minutes  of 
the  Twenty-first  quorum  is  in  1855,  where  the  statement  is 
made  that  he  had  fled  from  the  Church  and  was  associated 
with  James  J.  Strang.  Of  his  connection  with  Mr.  Strang, 
I  prefer  to  read  to  you  the  account  from  the  history  of  the 
"Reorganized"  Church,  for  you  know  then  we  will  have  it 
correct.  On  page  744  of  volume  three  we  have  the  follow- 
ing: 

"After  the  death  of  Joseph  Smith,  Elder  Gurley  investi- 
gated the  claims  of  the  various  leaders,  and  finally  accepted 
those  of  James  J.  Strang  as  being  the  most  reasonable.  A  let- 


28  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

ter  written  by  him  from  Gananoque,  Canada  West,  November 
6,  1849,  and  published  in  Gospel  Herald,  volume  4,  page  187,  in- 
dicates that  he  was  then  on  a  mission  to  Canada  in  the  interest 
of  the  organization  under  Strang.  On  January  1,  1850,  he  again 
wrote  from  Landsdown,  Upper  Canada,  still  engaged  in  the 
same  work. 

"A  letter  written  January  10,  1850,  from  Pittsburg,  Canada 
West,  manifested  zeal  in  his  work." 

We  have  already  shown  how  he  manifested  great  zeal  in 
his  work  in  the  Twenty-first  quorum  before  he  left  the 
Church.  But  to  continue: 

"March  15,  1850  he  wrote  from  St.  Lawrence,  New  York, 
that  he  was  assisting  Brother  Silsby  in  organizing  the  breth- 
ren and  helping  them  in  getting  ready  for  Beaver.  He  was 
present  at  a  conference  held  at  Voree,  Wisconsin,  June  1  and  2, 
1850,  and  in  these  minutes  we  find  this  entry:  'Brother  Z.  H. 
Gurley  was' — 

Then  there  is  an  elipsis,  no  doubt  it  would  be  interest- 
ing to  know  what  follows,  and  the  account  continues — 

'sent  to  the  northeastern  parts  of  Wisconsin,  on  the  pres- 
entation of  President  Strang." 

Now,  please  note  carefully  what  follows : 

"It  was  probably  while  on  the  mission  thus  appointed  that 
Elder  Gurley  raised  up  the  Yellowstone  branch,  the  members 
of  which  helped  to  form  the  nucleus  of  the  Reorganization." — 
Page  744-5. 

We  have  already  seen  that  Jason  W.  Briggs  raised  up 
the  Waukesha  branch  of  the  Strangite  church  in  1849,  also 
that  he  raised  up  the  Beloit  branch  for  the  same  organiza- 
tion, and  now  we  have  the  admission  fatal  to  their  organ- 
ization, that  the  Yellowstone  branch  was  also  raised  up  to 
Mr.  James  J.  Strang.  These  branches  you  see  became  the 
nucleus  of  the  "Reorganization."  They  were  not  connected 
with  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  ac- 
cording to  their  own  admission,  but  were  organized  for 
the  Church  of  James  J.  Strang.  Yet,  mark  you,  these 
Strangite  branches  were  admitted  into  what  was  called  the 


STRANGITES  NUCLEUS  OF  "REORGANIZATION."      29 

"New  organization,"  or  the  "Reorganization,"  on  their  or- 
iginal baptisms.*    It  is  quite  evident  that  the  "Reorganiza- 

*In  the  "defense"  that  appeared  in  the  Saints'  Herald,  June' 
30,  1909,  in  answer  to  this,  the  statement  is  made  that,  "Those  were 
received  whose  original  baptisms  had  been  performed  either 
previously  to  1844  or  by  men  who  held  authority  previous  to 
1844."  This  declaration  helps  their  cause  not  at  all,  for  what- 
ever authority  any  of  those  men  who  were  active  in  these  various 
"factions"  mav  have  held,  when  in  the  Church,  they  could  not 
take  it  with  them,  when  they  withdrew.  Moreover,  action  was 
taken  against  them  and  they  were  divested  of  all  authority  by 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  from  which 
their  authority  came.  And  what  authentic  proof  have  they  to 
offer  that  these  men  had  authority  in  the  Prophet's  day?  Zenas 
H.  Gurley  and  Jason  W.  Briggs  were  confessedly,  the  two  most 
active  and  most  noted  in  this  work  of  the  "Reorganization." 
Mr.  Gurley,  it  is  true,  was  senior  president  of  the  21st  quorum 
of  Seventy  at  Nauvoo  before  he  left  the  Church,  having  been 
ordained  under  the  direction  of  President  Joseph  Young.  He 
claimed  it  was  by  virtue  of  this  office  in  the  Priesthood  that  he 
officiated  originally  in  the  bringing  forth  of  the  "New  Organi- 
zation," in  1852.  (True  Saints'  Herald,  Vol.  I,  page  56).  Yet 
the  president  of  the  "Reorganization"  himself  repudiates  that 
authority.  (See  section  on  Succession,  subject  Properly  Or- 
dained?} 

It  is  claimed  by  the  "Reorganization"  that  Mr.  Briggs  was 
an  Elder  in  1842,  but  that  also  is  mere  sayso,  there  is  no  auth- 
entic record  for  it.  In  proof  of  this  I  submit  the  following  cor- 
respondence. 

Salt  Lake  City.,  Feb.  21,  1905. 
Mr.  Heman  C.  Smith,  Church  Historian, 
Reorganized  Church. 

Dear  Sir:  The  3rd  volume  of  the  "History  of  the  Reorgan- 
ized Church,"  page  737,  states  that  Jason  W.  Briggs  was  or- 
dained an  Elder  in  1842.  Will  you  kindly  inform  me  who  or- 
dained him  and  the  date  of  the  ordination;  also  the  authority 
on  which  the  statement  of  the  ordination  is  made,  and  oblige? 

Very  respectfully, 
JOSEPH  F.  SMITH,  JR. 

The  reply  dated  Lamoni,  Iowa,  Feb.  26,  1905,  is  as  follows: 

Mr.  Joseph  F.  Smith,  Jr. 

Salt  Lake  City,  U. 
Dear  Sir:    Yours  of  February  21,  is  at  hand  and  contents  noted. 

Replying  we  will  say  we  are  not  able  to  inform  you  as  to 
who  officiated  in  the  ordination  of  Elder  Jason  W.  Briggs  to  the 


30  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

tion  is  the  offspring  of  the  church  of  this  man  James  J. 
Strang. 

Now  let  us  return  to  Jason  W.  Briggs.  In  Mr.  Heman 
C.  Smith's  "True  Succession,"  pages  134-135,  we  have  an 
alleged  revelation  that  this  man  received  that  was  the  cause 
of  the  coming  together  of  the  so-called  "Reorganized" 
Church.  I  have  already  told  you  that  he  was  the  most  im- 
portant man  in  this  movement,  if  not  the  father  of  it.  The 
"revelation"  is  as  follows : 

"Therefore,  let  the  elders  whom  I  have  ordained  by  the 
hand  of  my  servant  Joseph,  or  by  the  hand  of  those  ordained  by 
him,  resist  not  this  authority,  nor  faint  in  the  discharge  of  duty, 
which  is  to  preach  my  gospel  as  revealed  in  the  records  of  the 
Jews,  and  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  the  Book  of  Doctrine  and 
Covenants;  and  cry  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  through 
obedience  to  the  gospel,  and  I  will  sustain  them,  and  give  them 
my  Spirit;  and  in  mine  own  due  time  will  I  call  upon  the  seed 
of  Joseph  Smith,  and  will  bring  one  forth,  and  he  shall  be 
mighty  and  strong,  and  he  shall  preside  over  the  High  Priest- 
hood of  my  Church;  and  then  shall  the  quorums  assemble,  and 


office  of  Elder;  nor  can  we  give  you  the  date  any  nearer  than 
the  year  1842. 

The  authority  upon  which  the  statement  was  made  is  the 
sworn  statement  of  Elder  Briggs  in  the  Temple  Lot  Case.  See 
Plaintiff's  Abstract,  page  393. 

Very  respectfully, 

HEMAN  C.  SMITH. 


In  the  formation  of  the  "New  Organization"  (now  the 
"Reorganization")  Mr.  Briggs  acted  by  virtue  of  the  office  of 
High  Priest.  Mr.  Gurley  says  they  had  "two  High  Priests 
(Mr.  Briggs  being  one  of  them)  and  one  senior  President  of  the 
Seventies."  (The  Seventy  being  himself).  See  True  Saints' 
Herald,  Vol.  I,  page  56.  And  in  the  "revelation"  given  by  Mr. 
Deam  it  was  stated  that  "It  is  my  will  that  you  respect  authority 
in  my  Church,  therefore  let  the  greatest  among  you  preside 
at  your  conference."  (True  Saints'  Herald,  Vol.  I,  p.  55).  Mr. 
Jason  W.  Briggs  was  chosen  to  preside  (p.  57).  Where  did  he 
get  his  authority  as  a  High  Priest  by  which  he  had  the  right 
to  preside?  From  James  J.  Strang.  The  Voree  record  of  con- 
ferences, April  8,  1846,  contains  the  following:  "Resolved 
unanimously  that  Jason  W.  Briggs  be  ordained  a  High  Priest. 
Ordination  under  the  hands  of  President  James  J.  Strang  and 
William  Marks." 


WHY  BRIGGS  SECEDED.  31 

the  pure  in  heart  shall  gather,  and  Zion  shall  be  reinhabited, 
as  I  said  unto  my  servant  Joseph  Smith." 

WHY  BRIGGS  SECEDED. 

In  this  alleged  revelation  we  have  this  man  teaching 
lineal  Priesthood  or  the  right  of  succession  from  father  to 
son.  We  also  have  him  teaching  the  literal  gathering  to  Zion 
of  the  honest  in  heart.  We  will  now  see  what  his  reasons 
were  for  withdrawing  from  the  "Reorganized"  Church. 
We  find  on  pages  248-249  of  volume  33  of  the  Saints'  Her- 
ald that  the  reasons  why  this  man  withdrew  from  the  "Re- 
organization" with  the  family  of  Zenas  H.  Gurley,  were  as 
follows : 

That  he  could  not  believe  in : 

(1)  "The  literal  gathering  of  the  Church  into  Jackson  and 
the  adjoining  counties  in  the  state  of  Missouri  (or  any  one  or 
more  places)  known  as  a  local  Zion." 

(2)  "Temple  building  and  ceremonial  endowments  therein." 

(3)  "Baptism  for  the  dead." 

(4)  "Tithing  as  a  law  applicable  to  the  Church." 

(5)  "The    law    of    consecration    by    which    individuals    are 
made  legal  heirs  to  the  Kingdom  of  Zion." 

(6)  "A  sole  mouthpiece  of  God  to  the  Church." 

(7)  "The   plenary   inspiration   of   and   consequent   absolute 
authority  of  what  are  called  the  sacred  books." 

(8)  "The  doctrine  of  'cursing  our  enemies/  and  of  'aveng- 
ing God  upon  them  to  the  third  and  fourth  generations.' " 

(9)  "To  the  foregoing  may  be  added  the  revelation  of  Jan- 
uary  19,   1841,   section    107   D.    &   C,    (124  our   edition),  which 
enjoins   upon   the    Church   the   building   of   a   hotel,   called   the 
'Lord's    boarding-house/    for    Joseph    Smith    and    posterity    to 
dwell   in   from   generation   to   generation,   as   also   the  promise 
contained  therein,  viz:    'And  as  I  said  unto  Abraham  concerning 
the  kindreds  of  the  earth,  even  so  I  say  to  my  servant  Joseph, 
in  thee  and  thy  seed  shall  the  kindreds  of  the  earth  be  blessed." 

"This  coupled  with  the  provisions  in  section  43,  that  'none 
else  should  or  could  receive  revelation  for  the  Church  and  the 
provision  of  section  19,  that  the  Church  shall  receive  Joseph's 
words  and  commands  the  same  as  if  from  God's  own  mouth, — 
establish  in  our  judgment  a  lineal  descent  of  authority,  equiv- 
alent to  an  imperial  dynasty,  which  is  foreign  to  the  spirit  and 
genius  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ." 

This  communication  was  dated  March  28,   1886,  and 
was  signed  by  Jason  W.  Briggs,  (president  of  their  apos- 


ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

ties)  ;  Zenas  H.  Gurley,  (a  member  of  that  quorum)  ;  Gracie 
Gurley,  Margaret  Gurley,  Edwin  H.  Gurley,  Mida  Gurley. 
We  see  that  this  Mr.  Briggs  repudiated  the  fundamental 
portions  of  his  alleged  revelation.  In  the  ''revelation"  he 
teaches  the  gathering,  but  here  he  says  he  does  not  believe 
in  the  gathering,  either  to  Jackson  county  or  to  any  other 
place  to  be  known  as  a  local  Zion.  In  his  "revelation"  he 
teaches  lineal  Priesthood,  but  when  he  withdraws  from  the 
church  one  reason  was  that  he  could  not  believe  in  "a  sole 
mouth-piece  of  God  to  the  Church,"  and  in  an  "imperial 
dynasty,"  which  he  erroneously  thought  was  taught  in  the 
revelation.  Thus  he  repudiates  his  "revelation,"  denies  the 
divine  mission  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  and  repudiates 
the  standard  works  of  the  Church.*  Unstable  to  the  last, 
this  man  would  not  rest  content  in  this  organization  which 
he  was  such  a  potent  instrument  in  bringing  into  existence.t 

*In  reply  to  this  the  Reorganite  "defender"  declares  that  I 
have  not  been  fair  to  Mr.  Briggs,  that  if  he  believed  "even 
one  section  out  of  what  was  in  excess  of  one  hundred,  both 
as  to  its  genuineness  and  authenticity,  it  would  necessarily  fol- 
low that  he  believed  to  an  extent  in  the  mission  of  Joseph  Smith 
through  whom  it  was  given,  in  that  case  Joseph  F.  Smith, 
Jr.,  could  not  truthfully  use  the  language  he  did  in  describing 
Briggs'  attitude  toward  the  Standard  works  of  the  Church." 
*  *  *  *  Mr.  Briggs  denied  the  plenary  inspiration  of  the  sa- 
cred books;  but  that  is  neither  a  denial  of  the  authenticity,  or 
of  the  partiality  of  their  inspiration." 

This  is  a  mere  quibble.  Mr.  Briggs  denied  the  gathering 
of  Israel;  temple  building  and  the  ceremonial  endowments  there- 
in; the  salvation  of  the  dead  through  the  temple  ordinances, 
which  the  Prophet  Joseph  said  was  "the  burden  of  the  Scrip- 
tures;" the  law  of  tithing  and  of  consecration,  the  only  law 
by  which  Zion  could  be  redeemed  and  built;  the  right  of  Jos- 
eph Smith  or  any  other  man  to  be  a  sole  mouthpiece  of  God 
to  the  Church;  the  plenary  inspiration  and  consequent  absolute 
authority  of  the  Scriptures;  and  the  revelation  on  temple  build- 
ing. What  else  he  did  not  believe  is  not  stated;  but  if  there 
is  any  fundamental  principle  in  the  mission  of  the  Prophet 
Joseph,  or  in  the  Scriptures  that  he  did  believe,  surely  he  ought 
to  have  full  credit  for  it! 

tThe  writer  of  the  "defense"  also  very  peevishly  objects 
to  the  statement  that  Mr.  Briggs  was  unstable  to  the  last.  He 
says:  "If  unstable  and  discontented  to  the  last,  he  could  not 
have  been  stable  and  contented  to  the  last,  he  could  not  have 


"ONE  MIGHTY  AND  STRONG."  33 

There  is  another  thing  in  his  so-called  "revelation"  that 
is  interesting.  He  declares  that  the  Lord  would  raise  up  one 
of  the  seed  of  Joseph  Smith  who  would  be  mighty  and 
strong.  Now,  evidently  this  refers  to  Joseph  Smith,  president 


been  stable  and  contented  for  a  generation  preceding  the  'last.' 
If  stable  and  contented  for  upwards  of  thirty  years  preceding 
the  last  (1886,)  then  Mr.  Smith  uttered  an  untruth,  then  he  re- 
flected a  falsehood,  when  he  said  Briggs  was  'unstable'  and  dis- 
content 'to  the  last.'  Why  not  tell  the  truth  about  him  even 
though  an  'apostate?'  I  see  no  excuse  for  reflecting  on  his  sta- 
bility any  part  of  his  life.  If  he  stepped  momentarily  aside  from 
his  path  in  the  early  part  of  his  life  it  was  because  his  north 
star  was  obscured  by  a  cloud  he  could  not  avoid;  but  as  soon 
as  the  cloud  disappeared  and  his  guiding  star  was  again  visible, 
he  resumed  his  pathway.  No  lack  of  stability  there.  *  *  *  * 
Joseph  F.  Smith,  Jr.,  should  tell  the  truth,  even  about  the  dead." 

Another  quibble.  This  is  rather  a  severe  arraignment  to  come 
from  a  member  of  the  "Reorganized"  Church,  which  organization  has 
been  fom  its  beginning  so  energetic  in  maligning  the  leaders  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  both  living  and 
dead,  accusing  them  of  every  wickedness  under  the  sun,  even 
going  so  far  as  to  accuse  President  Young  of  being  an  ac- 
complice in  the  death  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith.  (See 
R.  C.  Evans,  in  Toronto  Star,  of  January  28,  1905,  and  Saints' 
Herald,  Vol.  32:190.) 

Well,  let  us  see  wherein  we  have  wrongfully  accused  Mr. 
Briggs.  He  joined  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints  in  1841;  failed  to  gather  at  Nauvoo  when  commanded; 
left  the  Church  in  1846  during  the  exodus,  "because  he  had  no 
root;"  joined  James  J.  Strang  in  1846  and  remained  with  him 
until  1850;  left  Mr.  Strang  and  followed  William  Smith  until 
1851;  left  William  Smith  and  joined  with  Zenas  H.  Gurley  in  the 
"New  Organization  of  the  Church,"  which  finally  resulted  in 
the  forming  of  the  "Reorganized"  Church;  remained  with  this 
organization  until  1886,  when  he  withdrew  from  it  and  died 
at  Harris,  Colorado,  January  11,  1899,  rejecting  the  work  he 
performed  in  all  these  organizations.  Moreover,  he  was  "or- 
dained" April  8,  1846  to  the  office  of  "High  Priest"  by  James 
J.  Strang,  and  declared  that  Strang  was  Joseph  Smith's  legal 
successor  as  this  letter  will  show: 

"The  following  letter  was  written  in  answer  to  one^from 
Mr.  Briggs  of  Wisconsin.  His  letter  is  too  scurrilous  to  ap- 
pear in  print,  therefore  we  publish  only  the  reply  of  Mr.  Bacon." 

"Beaver  Island,  July  18th,  1851. 
"Mr.  Briggs: 

"Sir:  Some  time  since  I  received  a  letter  from  you  in  which 
you  claim  to  take  the  liberty  to  write  to  me,  on  the  ground  that 


34  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

of  that  organization.  Joseph  Smith  of  the  "Reorganized" 
Church  declares  that  he  is  not  the  one  mighty  and  strong  and 
the  "Reorganized"  Church  has  backed  him  up  by  resolution 
in  that  conclusion.* 

our  acquaintance  had  been  such  as  to  forbid  personal  enmities; 
and,  therefore,  you  would  carry  out  the  precept:  'Do  unto  others 
as  you  would  have  others  do  unto  you;'  and  that  I  was  less 
orthodox  in  the  pretenses  of  Strang,  etc.,  than  some  others. 
*  *  *  *  I  will  not  notice  the  argument,  powerful  as  it 
may  be,  which  you  assert  you  have  found  upon  examination, 
touching  the  letter  of  appointment.  But  what  examination  can 
this  be,  in  which  you  have  found  out  that  you  spoke  that  which 
was  not  true?  When  you  declared  in  public  congregations,  at  your 
oivn  fireside,  and  at  the  fireside  of  your  neighbors,  that  Joseph 
Smith  wrote  with  his  own  hand  the  'Letter  of  Appointment' 
(for  you  saw  him  in  vision)  and  your  surprise  and  faith  in  the 
'knocking  spirits'  of  New  York,  from  the  fact  that  they  (the 
sprits)  asserted  the  same?" 

He  represented  the  Beloit  and  Prairie  branches  of  Strang's 
church  at  the  conference  held  in  October,  1848,  (Voree  Record) 
and  traveled  quite  extensively  for  that  cult  from  1846  to  1850. 
When  he  joined  William  B.  Smith  he  acknowledged  him  as 
Prophet  and  leader,  was  ordained  by  William  B.  Smith,  an 
"Apostle."  After  he  left  William  B.  Smith  and  joined  Zenas 
H.  Gurley  he  claimed  to  have  a  revelation  embodying  the  very 
things  he  repudiated  when  he  withdrew  from  the  "Reorganiza- 
tion." 

To  Mathias  F.  Cowley,  in  the  presence  of  others,  Mr. 
Briggs,  a  short  time  before  his  death  in  answer  to  the  question 
whether  the  "revelation"  he  received  in  1851  was  true  or  not, 
said:  "You  know  we  learn  by  experience.  I  would  not  like 
to  claim  it  to  be  a  revelation  now,  but  it  is  just  as  good  as 
any  revelation  that  was  given  to  Joseph  Smith." 

Although  he  remained  with  the  "Reorganized"  Church  for 
thirty  years,  if  this  record  does  not  show  that  he  was  unstable 
of  character  at  the  beginning  all  the  way  through  and  "to  the 
end,"  pray  tell,  what  does  instability  mean! 

*The  members  of  the  "Reorganized"  Church  in  the  beginning 
laid  great  stress  on  the  statement  that  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith  was  smitten  by  the  shaft  of  death  (D.  &  C.  85th  sec.)  for 
putting  forth  his  hand  to  steady  the  ark  of  God,  and  that  his 
successor  should  be  the  "one  mighty  and  strong,"  the  Lord 
should  send,  "holding  the  sceptre  of  power  in  his  hand,  clothed 
with  light  for  a  covering,  whose  mouth  shall  utter  words,  eter- 
nal words;  while  his  bowels  shall  be  a  fountain  of  truth,  to  set 
in  order  the  house  of  God,  and  to  arrange  by  lot  the  inheritances 


QUESTION  OF  REJECTION.  35 

QUESTION  OF  REJECTION. 

We  now  come  to  the  question  of  the  rejection  of  the 
Church.  Our  friends  tell  us  that  the  Church  was  rejected 
for  the  reason  that  they  failed  to  complete  the  Nauvoo 
Temple  "in  the  sufficient  time  granted  by  the  Lord."  They 
say  that  the  Temple  was  not  finished.  The  president  of  the 
"Reorganization"  has  made  the  following  statement  in  this 
connection : 

"The  basement  was  fitted  for  occupation  and  the  baptismal 
font  was  ready  for  use.  The  auditorium  on  the  first  floor  was 

of  the  Saints,  whose  names  are  found,  and  the  names  of  their 
fathers,  and  of  their  children,  enrolled  in  the  book  of  the  law 
of  God." 

Mr.  Briggs  in  his  "revelation"  says  the  Prophet's  successor 
should  be  one  mighty  and  strong  and  one  of  his  seed,  and  for 
years  the  claim  was  made  that  Joseph  Smith  the  present  head 
of  the  "Reorganization,"  was  that  personage.  This  is  emphat- 
ically declared  in  the  "Successor,"  (revised  edition)  and  in  var- 
ious numbers  of  the  "Saints'  Herald"  and  other  of  their  publi- 
cations. This  is  from  page  66,  Vol.  17,  True  L.  D.  S.  Herald: 
"God  forknew  the  character  of  sister  Emma — that  she  would  be 
faithful  and  true  to  him  who  had  called  her — and  he  elected  her 
to  be  the  mother  of  the  successor  of  the  Martyr — the  "one 
mighty  and  strong,"  who  is  "to  set  in  order  the  house  of  God, 
(i.  e.,  the  church;  see  I.  Tim.  iii.  15;  I.  Pet.  iv.  17;  Heb.  iii.  6),  and 
arrange  by  lot  the  inheritances  of  the  Saints;  the  man  who  shall 
lead  them  (the  Saints)  like  as  Moses  led  the  children  of  Israel, 
(which  was  by  direct  revelation  from  God),  and  who,  when  sent 
of  God,  would  find  the  Saints  in  'bondage/  from  which  they 
should  be  led  out'  by  power,  (of  God)  'and  with  a  stretched 
out  arm.' " 

That's  the  way  they  formerly  gave  it;  but  they  have  been 
forced  to  recede  because  their  president  has  not  come  up  to 
this  standard  of  the  one  spoken  of  in  the  Prophet's  revelation. 
Therefore  they  have,  since  1900,  resolved: 

"Whereas,  we  have  received  no  divine  communication  auth- 
orizing any  particular  interpretation  of  the  revelation  before 
us;  and  as  the  Reorganized  Church  has  never  taken  action  upon 
the  matter; 

"Resolved,  that  we  leave  it  an  open  question,  to  be  decided 
as  God  may  develop  His  purposes  among  us,  while  we  acknowl- 
edge the  leading  features  in  it  to  be  prominently  character- 
istic of  Jesus  Christ."  (From  a  letter  by  Joseph  Smith  of  the 
"Reorganization"  in  my  possession — J.  F.  S.,  Jr.) 

This  is  rather  a  hard  jolt  to  Mr.  Briggs'  "revelation." 


36  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

completed  sufficiently  to  be  seated  and  occupied  for  assembly 
purposes.  The  stairway  on  the  south  side  was  completed  for 
use.  The  auditorium  on  the  second  floor,  the  stairway  on  the 
north  side,  nor  any  other  portion  of  the  building  except  those 
above  named  were  completed;  though  the  small  rooms  above 
the  second  floor  auditorium  were  used  by  President  Young  and 
the  resident  Church  authorities  for  various  purposes."  (His- 
tory of  Reorganized  Church,  2:562). 

His  brother  Alexander  makes  a  similar  statement. 

In  reply  to  this  it  is  only  necessary  to  say  that  it  made 
no  difference  whether  the  Temple  was  finished  or  not.  The 
revelation  of  January  19,  1841,  provided, 

"That  when  I  (the  Lord)  give  a  commandment  to  any  of  the 
sons  of  men,  to  do  a  work  unto  my  name,  and  those  sons  of 
men  go  with  all  their  might,  and  with  all  they  have,  to  per- 
form that  work,  and  cease  not  their  diligence,  and  their  enemies 
come  upon  them,  and  hinder  them  from  performing  that  work; 
behold,  it  behooveth  me  to  require  that  work  no  more  at  the 
hands  of  those  sons  of  men,  but  to  accept  of  their  offerings: 

"And  the  iniquity  and  transgression  of  my  holy  laws  and 
commandments,  I  will  visit  upon  the  heads  of  those  who  hind- 
ered my  work,  unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation,  so  long 
as  they  repent  not,  and  hate  me,  saith  the  Lord  God. 

"Therefore  for  this  cause  have  I  accepted  the  offerings  of 
those  whom  I  commanded  to  build  up  a  city  and  a  house  unto 
my  name,  in  Jackson  county,  Missouri,  and  were  hindered  by 
their  enemies,  saith  the  Lord  your  God: 

"And  I  will  answer  judgment,  wrath,  and  indignation,  wail- 
ing and  anguish  and  gnashing  of  teeth  upon  their  heads,  unto 
the  third  and  fourth  generation,  so  long  as  they  repent  not  and 
hate  me,  saith  the  Lord  your  God. 

"And  this  I  make  an  example  unto  you  for  your  consolation 
concerning  all  those  who  have  been  commanded  to  do  a  work, 
and  have  been  hindered  by  the  hands  of  their  enemies,  and  by 
oppression  saith  the  Lord  your  God."* 


*The  Reorganite  "defender"  says,  "Also,  we  wish  Mr. 
Smith  to  note,  that  the  Lord  in  the  same  connection  says,  'If 
my  people  will  hearken  to  my  voice,'  they  shall  not  be  moved 
out  of  their  place.  Were  they  moved?  Yes,  they  were  cannon- 
aded from  "Nauvoo,  their  enemies  scattered  them,  some  of  them 
went  to  Utah.  Was  it  because  they  "hearkened,"  or  because 
they  had  not  hearkened?" 

He  misinterprets  the  Scriptures.     Thus  do  they  read: 
"And  if  my  people  will  hearken  unto  my  voice,  and  unto  the 
voice  of  my  servants  whom  I  have  appointed  to  lead  my  people, 


DILIGENCE  OF  THE  SAINTS.  37 

No  sane  man  will  dare  say  that  the  Saints  were  not  hin- 
dered by  their  enemies  in  the  building  of  the  Nauvoo  Tem- 
ple, both  before  and  after  the  martyrdom.  Nevertheless,  I 
maintain  that  they  were  diligent  in  their  labors  as  the  fol- 
lowing references  will  show,  furthermore  that  the  Temple 
was  completed.  In  the  Times  and  Seasons,  volume  3,  page 
775,  is  to  be  found  an  editorial  written  by  the  Prophet  Jos- 
eph in  which  he  says: 


behold,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  they  shall  not  be  moved  out  of 
their  place"  (verse  45). 

Who  these  servants  were  that  the  Saints  should  "hearken" 
to,  the  Lord  informs  us  in  verses  124  to  129  of  this  same  sec- 
tion. "First,  I  give  unto  you  Hyrum  Smith,  to  be  a  Patriarch 
unto  you,  *  *  *  I  give  unto  you  Joseph  Smith,  to  be  a  pre- 
siding elder  over  all  my  Church.  *  *  *  I  give  unto  him  for 
counselors  my  servant  Sidney  Rigdon,  and  my  servant  William 
Law.  *  *  *  *  I  give  unto  you  my  servant  Brigham  Young, 
to  be  a  President  over  the  Twelve  traveling  council,  which 
Twelve  hold  the  keys  to  open  up  the  authority  of  my  kingdom 
upon  the  four  corners  of  the  earth,  and  after  that  to  send  my 
word  to  every  creature;  They  are — Heber  C.  Kimball,  Parley 
P.  Pratt,  Orson  Pratt,  Orson  Hyde,  William  Smith,  John  Taylor,, 
John  E.  Page,  Wilford  Woodruff,  Willard  Richards,  George  A. 
Smith."  These  were  the  general  authorities  who  were  to  be 
"hearkened"  to.  And  the  people  hearkened  to  the  Prophets  Jos- 
eph and  Hyrum  Smith  until  their  death,  then  the  right  of  presi- 
dency fell  on  the  shoulders  of  the  Twelve.  The  faithful  Saints 
"hearkened"  to  them  and  helped  them  to  build  the  Temple.  But 
the  unfaithful  rejected  these  servants  whom  the  Lord  in  this  rev- 
elation gave  to  the  Church  for  the  Saints  to  hearken  to,  departed 
from  Nauvoo,  refused  to  comply  with  the  command  of  the  Lord 
to  build  His  house,  and  were  consequently  moved  out  of  their 
place  in  the  Church  into  the  "Reorganization."  The  moving  "out 
of  their  place"  did  not  refer  to  the  location  (Nauvoo)  but  to 
their  place  in  the  Kingdom  of  God;  or,  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  And  all  who  refused  to  obey  this 
commandment  and  hearken  to  these  servants  were  removed 
from  the  Church.  "But  if  they  will  not  hearken  to  my  voice, 
nor  unto  the  voice  of  these  men  whom  I  have  appointed,  they  shall 
not  be  blest,  because  they  pollute  mine  holy  grounds,  and  mine 
holy  ordinances,  and  charters,  and  my  holy  words  which  I 
give  unto  them.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  That  if  you  build 
a  house  unto  my  name,  and  do  not  do  the  things  that  I  say,  (i.  e., 
hearken  to  "the  voice  of  these  men  whom  I  have  appointed")  I 
will  not  perform  the  oath  which  I  make  unto  you,  neither  ful- 
fil the  promise  which  ye  expect  at  my  hands,  saith  the  Lord." 
(verses  46-7). 


38  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

"This  noble  edifice  is  progressing  with  great  rapidity;  stren- 
uous exertions  are  being  made  on  every  hand  to  facilitate  its 
erection;  and  materials  of  all  kinds  are  in  great  state  of  for- 
wardness. *  *  *  * 

"While  the  busy  multitudes  have  thus  been  engaged  in 
their  several  avocations,  performing  their  daily  labor,  and  work- 
ing one-tenth  of  their  time,  others  have  not  been  less  forward 
in  bringing  in  their  tithings  and  consecrations  for  the  same 
great  object.  Never  since  the  formation  of  this  Church  was 
laid  have  we  seen  manifested  a  greater  willingness  to  comply 
with  the  requisitions  of  Jehovah;  a  more  ardent  desire  to  do  the 
will  of  God;  more  strenuous  exertions  used,  or, greater  sacrifices 
made,  then  there  have  been  since  the  Lord  said:  Let  the 
Temple  be  built  by  the  tithing  of  my  people.  It  seemed  as 
though  the  spirit  of  enterprise,  philanthropy,  and  obedience 
rested  simultaneously  upon  old  and  young;  and  brethren  and 
sisters,  boys  and  girls,  and  even  strangers,  who  were  not  in 
the  Church,  united  with  an  unprecedented  liberality  in  the  ac- 
complishment of  this  great  work;  nor  could  the  widow  in  many 
instances,  be  prevented,  out  of  her  scanty  pittance,  from  throw- 
ing in  her  two  mites." 

This  was  written  in  May,  1842.  Remember  the  date, 
for  I  will  have  occasion  to  refer  to  this  again  before  we  are 
through. 

This  editorial  reveals  to  us  what  is  meant  by  laboring 
with  your  might  and  "to  cease  not  their  diligence."  The 
Lord  did  not  require  all  the  time  of  the  Saints  to  be  devoted 
on  that  building,  but  a  tithing — one-tenth  of  their  time  or 
means.  That  is  all  He  required  of  them  in  order  that  they 
should  fulfill  the  commandment.  This  is  also  set  forth  in 
the  second  vol.  of  the  Times  and  Seasons,  page  567,  and  in 
vol.,  3  pages  938-9,  but  I  take  it  for  granted  that  the  refer- 
ence given  is  sufficient  to  cover  this  ground. 

.  TEMPLE  BUILT  BY  SACRIFICE. 

Let  us  here  pause  a  moment  and  see  what  it  took  to 
build  the  Temple.  That  structure  cost  more  than  one  mil- 
lion dollars ;  the  Saints  were  poor,  and  a  great  deal  of  the 
time  the  Temple  was  in  course  of  erection  they  were  har- 
assed by  their  enemies.  The  Prophet  Joseph  was  forced 
into  exile  to  avoid  his  enemies  who  tried  to  drag  him  to  Mis- 
souri, and  therefore  he  could  not  devote  his  personal  atten- 


TEMPLE  BUILT  BY  TITHING.  39 

tion  to  the  building  of  the  Temple  as  he  otherwise  would 
have  done ;  and  in  this  way  the  work  was  retarded  to  some 
degree  by  the  enemies  of  the  people.  Moreover,  the  build- 
ing of  that  structure  was  not  like  building  one  today.  The 
Saints  could  not  order  their  timber  from  the  lumber  yard 
in  a  state  of  preparation  for  the  Temple.  There  were  no 
iron  foundries  from  which  they  could  obtain  the  required 
metal  properly  prepared;  but  on  the  contrary,  every  detail 
had  to  be  performed  by  the  Saints.  The  timber  had  to  be 
hewed  in  the  far  off  forests  of  Wisconsin,  carried  to  Nau- 
voo,  and  cut  into  boards  and  for  the  various  uses  of  the 
Temple.  The  stone  had  to  be  cut  and  polished  from  the 
quarries,  and  the  whole  work  had  to  be  supplied  out  of  the 
tithing  of  the  people.  If  the  Lord  had  required  all  of  their 
time  how  would  they  have  supported  their  families?  Of 
course,  He  could  have  cared  for  them,  but  it  was  but  the 
tenth,  mark  you,  of  their  time  and  means  that  was  required. 
And  yet  some  of  our  friends  complain  that  the  Temple 
was  not  completed  inside  of  six  months!  Naturally  under 
these  conditions  it  would  take  a  number  of  years  to  com- 
plete the  building. 

We  have  seen  that  the  Saints  were  diligent  up  to  May, 
1842.*     Let  us  now  see  if  they  did  not  continue  their  dili- 


*The  Reorganite  response  to  this  is  as  follows:  "Not 
by  any  means,  no  such  an  indication.  We  have  seen  that  they 
were  diligent  in  May  1842 — not  up  to.  The  corner-stone  of  the 
edifice  had  been  laid  April  6,  1841,  over  a  year  from  the  date 
of  the  quotation.  Room  for  a  great  deal  of  lagging  between 
those  two  periods  of  time." 

"The  next  quotation  is  from  Hyrum  Smith  (no  reference) 
at  the  April  Conference,  1844,  who  speaks  of,  as  Joseph  F.  Smith 
[Jr.],  puts  it,  the  'willingness  of  the  Saints  to  do  the  work  as 
late  as  1844.'  Yes,  but  he  does  not  say  they  had  been  willing 
up  to  1844.  From  May  1842,  to  April,  1844,  (nearly  two  years), 
afforded  time  to  be  guilty  of  lethargy  and  to  falter  enough  to 
incur  the  penalty  the  fiat  of  the  Lord  had  fixed." 

Such  miserable,  puerile,  balderdash  set  forth  as  argument, 
is  disgusting.  Nevertheless  it  is  characteristic  of  the  "defense" 
writer  who,  throughout,  argues  in  this  fashion,  failing  to  pre- 
sent the  quotations  he  attacks  for  fear  his  readers  will  discover 
his  dishonorable  methods.  He  was  afraid  to  present  to  his 
readers  the  quotation  from  the  remarks  of  Patriarch  Hyrum 
Smith  and  the  quotation  from  the  Prophet  wherein  he  said: 


40  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

gence.  Of  course,  there  were  some  who  were  not  diligent; 
but  not  of  the  faithful,  not  of  those  who  followed  the 

"Never  since  the  formation  of  this  Church  was  laid  have  we 
seen  manifest  a  greater  willingness  to  comply  with  the  requi- 
sitions of  Jehovah,  a  more  ardent  desire  to  do  the  will  of  God; 
more  strenuous  exertions  used  or  greater  sacrifices  made,  than 
have  been  SINCE  the  Lord  said,  LET  THE  TEMPLE  BE  BUILT  BY  THE 

TITHING  OF    MY   PEOPLE!" 

The  reasons  he  did  not  give  these  quotations  is,  that  he 
knew  his  readers  would  see  his  trickery  and  deception.  Then 
he  goes  on  to  argue  that  the  Saints  were  not  diligent  in  Sep- 
tember 1841,  because  the  Lord  said  at  that  time:  "Let  the 
work  of  my  Temple,  and  all  the  works  which  I  have  appointed 
unto  you,  be  continued  on  and  not  cease,  let  your  diligence  and 
your  perseverence,  and  patience,  and  your  works  be  redoubled, 
and  you  shall  in  no  wise  lose  your  reward."  (My  italics). 
Therefore,  he  argues,  "they  were  not  sufficiently  diligent  at 
that  time,"  because  they  were  commanded  to  redouble  their 
works.  "That  at  least  makes  one  positive  break  in  Mr.  Smith's 
chain  of  diligence." 

Let  us  see:  their  works  that  were  to  be  redoubled  were  not 
confined  to  the  building  of  the  Temple,  and  the  context  of  this 
revelation  (see  sec.  127)  proves  that  they  were  in  favor  with 
the  Lord  and  had  been  diligent  and  patient  and  persevering  in 
their  works.  We  have  seen  too,  from  the  Prophet's  own  words, 
that  "laboring  with  their  might"  meant  one-tenth  of  their  time 
or  means — a  tithing  of  the  people,  which  is  all  the  Lord  had  asked 
of  them,  and  this  could  be  redoubled  without  any  thought  of 
lethargy  or  lack  of  diligence.  There  is  no  sense  in  the  Reor- 
ganite  "defender,"  being  unreasonable,  technical  and  peevish  in  this 
matter  to  win  a  point  for  a  delapidated  cause.  There  is  sufficient 
evidence  given  in  this  book;  and  it  is  not  all  that  could  be 
given  by  any  means,  to  show  that  the  Saints  labored  faithfully, 
diligently,  and  did  all  that  the  Lord  required  of  them  until 
they  had  completed  the  Temple;  and  that,  too,  while  they  were 
being  harassed,  persecuted,  and  in  every  way  opposed  by  their 
enemies.  All  these  facts  the  "defender"  very  carefully  avoids. 

Another  thing.  Who  was  it  that  failed  to  be  diligent  and 
to  labor  with  their  mights  in  building  the  Temple?  Those 
scattered  members  who  refused  to  go  to  Nauvoo  when  command- 
ed, and  afterwards, — if  we  may  accept  Reorganite  testimony 
— became  the  nucleus  of  their  Church!  Those  who  fled  from 
Nauvoo  with  James  J.  Strang,  Sidney  Rigdon  and  William 
Smith;  forsaking  the  Church;  refusing  to  assist  in  the  comple- 
tion of  the  Temple;  opposing  the  building  of  that  edifice;  even 
prophesying  that  it  would  not  be  built,  and  blocking  the  pro- 
gress of  its  erection!  Notwithstanding  the  Lord  declared  to 
Parley  P.  Pratt  in  a  revelation  just  following  the  martyrdom 


DILIGENCE  OF  THE  SAINTS  IN  1844.  41 

Twelve.    At  the  April  conference,  1844,  the  Patriarch  Hy- 
rum  Smith,  addressing  the  Saints,  said : 

"I  am  one  of  the  committee  (i.  e.,  Temple  committee);  the 
committee  tell  me  the  quarry  is  blockaded,  it  is  filled  with  rock, 
the  stone  cutters  are  wanting  work;  come  on  with  your  teams 
as  soon  as  conference  is  over.  It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to 
tell  who  will  come  and  do  it;  I  will  prophesy  that  you  will 
do  it.  There  is  not  one  in  the  city  but  that  will  do  right  if  they 
know  it,  only  one  or  two  exceptions,  and  they  are  not  worth 
notice;  God  will  take  care  of  them,  and  if  He  doesn't,  the  devil 
will."  (T.  &  S.,  5:597). 

Now,  I  know  that  Hyrum  Smith  was  a  prophet  of  God, 
the  Lord  declared  it,  and  his  prophecy  did  not  fail.  This 
shows  the  willingness  of  the  Saints  to  do  this  work  as  late 
as  1844. 

In  a  communication  to  the  Times  and  Seasons,  October 
13,  1844,  signed  "C,"  we  have  the  following: 

"The  Temple  is  rising  even  faster  than  could  have  been 
anticipated,  and  has  a  very  imposing  appearance." 

Again  on  page  744,  of  volume  5,  Times  and  Seasons, 
(December  15,  1844),  this  is  stated: 

"The  Temple  has  progressed  with  greater  rapidity  since 
the  death  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  than  ever  it  had  done  before; 
and  things  in  this  city  never  looked  more  prosperous." 


— which  is  accepted  by  the  Reorganites  as  genuine — "Go  and 
say  unto  my  people  (not  rejected)  in  Nauvoo,  that  they  shall 
continue  to  pursue  their  daily  duties  and  take  care  of  them- 
selves, and  make  no  movement  in  Church  government  to  re- 
organize or  alter  anything  until  the  return  of  the  remainder  of 
the  quorum  of  the  Twelve  (not  rejected).  But  exhort  them  that  they 
continue  to  build  the  House  of  the  Lord  which  I  have  commanded 
them  to  build  in  Nauvoo."  (My  comments  and  italics).  Autobiog- 
raphy of  Parley  P.  Pratt,  page  371).  Notwithstanding  this 
commandment,  some  forsook  Nauvoo  and  refused  to  assist  in 
building  the  Temple,  and  these  were  the  ones  who  after- 
wards became  active  members  of  the  "Reorganization."  It 
will  take  more  evidence  than  a  lot  of  inuendos,  accusations,  and 
downright  sophistry  to  prove  that  the  Lord  rejected  those  who 
labored  diligently  on  the  Temple,  according  to  His  command, 
and  accepted  those  who  rejected  the  Temple,  and  refused  to  as- 
sist in  its  erection. 


42  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

And  in  an  editorial  in  this  same  paper  of  May  15,  1845 : 

"The  Temple  progresses  rapidly  and  the  Saints  being  united 
(as  we  have  heretofore  said),  are  industrious,  frugal  and  de- 
termined." 

Then  in  the  Times  and  Seasons,  volume  6,  page  926 : 

"After  a  little  more  than  four  years  of  hard  labor,  in  truly 
troublesome  times,  and  not,  too,  without  the  loss  of  the  best 
blood  in  the  Church,  on  the  morning  of  the  24th  ult.  (April, 
1845),  at  a  little  past  6,  a  goodly  number  of  Saints  had  the 
honor,  and  glory  to  witness  the  capstone  of  the  Temple  laid 
in  its  place." 

In  a  letter  from  Elder  John  Taylor  to  Joseph  Cain 
(Mill  Star,  8 :31),  we  find  this  : 

"My  feelings  were  very  peculiar  while  standing  in  the  font, 
which  is  of  stone,  and  passing  through  the  rooms  when  I 
thought  how  the  Saints  had  labored  and  striven  to  complete 
the  building." 

And  in  the  Times  and  Seasons,  volume  6,  page  1017: 

"On  Sunday,  the  5th  of  October  (1845)  through  the  inde- 
fatigable exertions,  unceasing  industry,  and  heaven  blessed 
labors,  in  the  midst  of  trials,  tribulations,  poverty,  and  worldly 
obstacles,  solemnized,  in  some  instances,  by  death,  about  5,000 
Saints  had  the  inexpressible  joy  and  great  gratification  to  meet 
for  the  first  time  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  in  the  city  of  Joseph 
(Nauvoo).  From  mites  and  tithing,  millions  had  risen  up 
to  the  glory  of  God,  as  a  Temple  where  the  children  of  the 
last  kingdom,  could  come  together  and  praise  the  Lord." 

There  are  other  passages ;  but  these  ought  to  suffice  on 
this  point  of  the  diligence  of  the  Saints.  But  some  one  will 
say,  all  this  testimony  is  from  those  who  are  interested — 
from  your  friends.  Should  we  take  the  testimony  of  our 
enemies,  those  who  are  interested  in  our  downfall,  and  who 
are  not  acquainted  with  these  facts?  However,  I  will  add 
the  testimony  of  one  who  hoped  that  the  Temple  would  not 
be  finished.  In  the  Messenger  and  Advocate  of  June,  1846, 
published  by  Sidney  Rigdon,  1  quote  the  following : 


NAUVOO  TEMPLE  COMPLETED.        43 

"That  people  [the  Saints  with  Brigham  Young]  were  told 
that  they  would  not  finish  that  Temple  which  THEY  were 
building.  They  were  told  that  they  would  get  the  roof  on,  and 
do  some  of  the  inside  work,  but  never  would  finish  it." 

Now  mark  this :  he  adds : 


"No  people  ever  labored  harder  to  prove  the  above  declar- 
ation false.  No  pains  were  spared;  but  where  has  it  terminat- 
ed? Just  as  we  said  it  would." 

Here  we  have  the  testimony  of  Sidney  Rigdon,  who  op- 
posed the  Twelve  and  the  Church  and  the  building  of  that 
Temple.  Yet  he  says  they  were  diligent,  but  when  he  says 
it  was  not  completed,  he  spoke  too  soon.  This  article  was 
written  just  shortly  after  the  exodus  commenced,  and  at  that 
time  the  Temple  was  not  quite  finished;  but  it  was  finished 
before  all  the  Saints  left  Nauvoo. 

I  suppose  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  continue  this  branch 
of  the  subject  any  further,  but  since  our  Church  members 
have  to  meet  the  sophistry  on  the  part  of  the  elders  of  the 
"Reorganization,"  we  will. 

NAUVOO  TEMPLE  COMPLETED. 

In  proof  that  the  Temple  was  completed  I  present  the 
following  evidence.  In  the  Times  and  Seasons,  volume  6, 
page  1017,  we  find  the  following: 

"It  certainly  afforded  a  holy  satisfaction  to  think  that  since 
the  6th  of  April,  1841,  when  the  first  stone  was  laid,  amidst 
the  most  straightened  circumstances,  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints  has  witnessed  their  bread  cast  upon  waters; 
or  more  properly  their  obedience  to  the  commandments  of 
the  Lord  appear  in  the  tangible  form  of  a  Temple,  entirely  en- 
closed, windows  in,  with  temporary  floors,  pulpits,  and  seats  to 
accommodate  so  many  persons  preparatory  to  a  general  con- 
ference." 

And  on  page  1018 : 

"The  font  and  the  other  parts  of  the  Temple  will  be  in 
readiness  in  a  few  days  to  commence  the  administration  of  holy 
ordinances  of  endowment,  for  which  the  faithful  have  long 


44  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

diligently  labored!  and  fervently  prayed,  desiring  above  all 
things  to  see  the  beauty  of  the  Lord  and  inquire  in  His  holy 
Temple." 

Now,  this  was  given  in  October,  1845,  and  we  learn  that 
the  font — that  is  the  permanent  font,  which  replaced  the  for- 
mer and  temporary  one — also  the  other  parts  of  the  Temple 
would  be  in  readiness  in  a  few  days  to  commence  the  admin- 
istration of  holy  ordinances.  I  wish  now  to  refer  to  another 
reference  from  the  writings  of  the  president  of  the  "Reor- 
ganization." I  have  already  read  where  he  declares  that 
the  font  and  the  first  floor  above  the  basement  and  one  stair- 
way, also  the  basement,  were  completed.  He  reaffirms  that 
in  the  following  from  an  editorial  in  the  Saints'  Herald  of 
February  17,  1904: 

"Work  continued  to  be  done  on  the  Temple  until  the  fall 
of  1845,  possibly  until  the  summer  of  1846" — you  see  he  is  not 
quite  sure  about  it — "but  the  building  was  never  finished;  and 
whatever  ordinances  were  performed  in  it  took  place  in  rooms 
not  wholly  finished." 

Now  note  this  particularly: 

"The  north  stairway,  the  second  or  upper  auditorium,  and 
the  attic  were  entirely  incompleted." 

We  will  now  examine  the  Times  and  Seasons  of  January 
20,  1846,  and  see  what  his  testimony  is  worth.  Here  on  page 
1096  occurs  the  following: 

"January  thus  far  has  been  mild,  which,  in  the  midst  of  our 
preparations  for  an  exodus  next  spring,  has  given  an  excellent 
time  to  finish  the  Temple.  Nothing  has  appeared  so  much  like 
a  finish  of  that  holy  edifice  as  the  present." 

Now,  I  want  to  call  your  attention  to  this  which  im- 
mediately follows : 

"The  ATTIC  story  was  finished  in  December." 

That  is  in  December  1845.  You  will  remember  that 
the  president  of  the  Reorganization  declares  that  the  attic 
was  "entirely  incompleted."  But  to  continue  the  quotation : 


NAUVOO  TEMPLE  COMPLETED.        45 

"And  if  the  Lord  continues  to  favor  us,  the  first  story  above 
the  basement  will  be  completed  ready  for  meeting,  in  the  month 
of  February.  The  font,  standing  upon  12  stone  oxen,  is  about 
ready,  and  the  floor  of  the  story  is  laid,  so  that  all  speculation 
about  the  Temple  of  God  at  Nauvoo,  must  cease." 

Now  the  temporary  floors  were  laid  in  October,  1845, 
so  these  floors  must  have  been  the  permanent  ones,  and 
while  the  temporary  finishing  in  October  was  for  the  purpose 
of  fitting  the  building  for  the  ordinances,  this  finishing  was 
permanent. 

Here  is  an  interesting  feature  about  the  testimony  of 
this  man.  The  parts  of  the  Temple  which  the  president  of 
the  "Reorganized"  Church  says  were  completed — finished, 
the  Times  and  Seasons  here  states  would  not  be  finished  for 
a  few  days,  or  till  February,  but  the  part  of  the  building 
which  he  says  was  "entirely  incompleted,"  is  here  declared 
to  have  been  finished  in  the  past  December,  1845.  I  shall 
not  dispute  with  him  the  fact  that  the  parts  which  he  says 
were  finished,  were  completed,  for  they  were ;  but  what  does 
his  testimony  amount  to  as  evidence  when  confronted  with 
the  statement  of  the  Times  and  Seasons?  Simply  nothing; 
more  than  to  prove  that  he  knew  nothing  about  it  at  all. 
Now  which  shall  we  believe  ?  The  Times  and  Seasons,  pub- 
lished at  the  time,  or  the  president  of  the  "Reorganization," 
who  made  his  statement  some  40  years  latter?  Remember 
if  he  admits  that  the  Temple  was  finished  his  whole  struc- 
ture crumbles  to  the  ground — it's  bound  to  crumble  any- 
way sooner  or  later,  for  it  is  built  upon  the  sand- 

Elder  John  Taylor,  in  an  address  to  the  Saints  in  Eng- 
land, published  in  the  Millennial  Star  of  November,  1846, 
(vol.  8:97)  has  this  to  say: 

"Time  alone  can  unfold  this  to  many,  but  to  us  it  has  been 
manifested  long  ago,  years  before  the  Temple  WAS  COM- 
PLETED, and  long  before  the  martyrdom  of  our  Prophet 
and  Patriarch." 

Here  he  declares  that  the  Temple  was  completed.  Now 
our  friends  quote  from  the  remarks  of  President  Brigham 
Young  delivered  at  the  dedication  of  the  St.  George  Temple 
to  the  effect  that  up  to  that  time  the  Saints  had  never  had  the 


46  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED0    CHURCH. 

privilege  of  completing  and  enjoying  a  iemple.  I  call  your 
attention  to  the  fact  that  President  Brigham  Young  left  Nau- 
voo  before  the  Temple  was  finished.  He  left  in  February, 
1846,  and  a  great  portion  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  were  ex- 
pelled from  that  city  before  they  had  the  privilege  of  re- 
ceiving the  ordinances  of  the  house  of  God,  therefore  Presi- 
dent Young  was  correct  when  he  said  we  had  not  up  to  that 
time  had  the  privilege  of  completing  and  enjoying  one.  But 
I  will  now  call  your  attention  to  the  statement  of  President 
Young's  made  in  October,  1863,  (News,  13  :96).  Said  he, 

"We  have  already  built  two  Temples,  one  at  Kirtland,  Ohio, 
and  one  at  Nauvoo,  Illinois.  *  *  *  God  commanded  us  to 
build  the  Nauvoo  Temple,  and  we  built  it,  and  performed  our 
duty  pretty  well.  There  are  elders  present  here  today  who  la- 
bored on  that  house  with  not  a  shoe  to  their  foot,  or  panta- 
lons  that  would  cover  their  limbs,  or  a  shirt  to  cover  their  arms. 

"We  performed  the  work,  and  performed  it  WITHIN  THE 
TIME  WI  rcH  THE  LORD  GAVE  US  TO  DO  IT  IN.  Apos- 
tates said  that  we  never  could  perform  that  work,  but  through 
the  blessing  of  God  it  was  completed  and  accepted  of  Him. 
Apostates  never  build  Temples  unto  God,  but  the  Saints  are 
called  to  do  this  work." 

The  Nauvoo  Temple  was  publicly  dedicated  May  1, 
1846,  by  Elder  Orson  Hyde,  and  the  following  day  about 
3,000  Saints  met  in  the  building  in  a  public  service.  It  is 
most  likely  that  the  greater  number  of  these  Saints  were  also 
at  the  dedication.  It  is  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  this 
building  was  dedicated  until  it  was  finished,  for  each  part 
had  been  dedicated  as  it  was  finished,  and  the  dedication  on 
the  1st  of  May,  1846,  was  of  the  entire  structure.* 

*Commenting  on  this  the  Reorganite  "defender"  says: 
"On  page  23  he  quotes  from  Sidney  Rigdon,  'In  the  Messenger 
and  Advocate  for  June,  1846;'  and  on  next  page  (24)  he  says:  'At 
that  time  (June,  1846)  the  temple  was  not  quite  finished.'  On 
page  24,  not  finished  in  June,  and  on  page  23,  finished  on  May 
1st.  On  which  page  is  he  correct?" 

If  the  foregoing  criticism  was  written  through  ignorance,  of 
course  the  writer  may  be  excused,  for  one  cannot  be  expected 
to  furnish  reasoning  powers  to  men  who  lack  the  capacity  to 
understand  a  simple  fact.  But  it  appears  very  forcibly  that  it  is 
a  deliberate  prevarication,  prepared  purposely  to  deceive,  and 
thus  shall  I  look  upon  it,  rather  than  lay  it  to  his  stupidity. 


THE  REVELATION  ON  TEMPLE  WORK.  47 

THE  REVELATION  ON  TEMPLE  WORK. 

I  have  now  shown  that  the  Temple  was  completed ;  that 
the  Saints  were  diligent  in  their  labors,  and  they  were  also 
hindered  by  their  enemies.  I  now  reaffirm  what  has  pre- 
viously been  said;  that  it  made  no  difference,  so  far  as  the 
Church  and  its  authority  is  concerned,  even  if  the  Temple 
had  not  been  completed,  or  finished,  in  the  technical  sense  of 
that  word.  Some  of  the  embellishments,  the  ornamentations 
and  fixtures,  may  not  have  been  placed  in  the  building  ac- 
cording to  the  original  intention,  and  in  that  technical  sense 
the  building  may  not  have  been  ''finished  completely."  But 
if  so,  what  difference  would  it  make?  The  Lord,  thank 
heaven,  is  not  as  technical  and  peevish  as  men  are,  or  woe  be 
unto  all  of  us.  The  revelation  does  not  say  that  the  Church 
would  be  rejected  with  its  dead  if  every  identical  board  and 
plank  or  fixture  was  not  in  the  building  according  to  the 
original  design.  The  thing  the  revelation  does  re  ^lire  is  that 
a  place  be  prepared,  or  built,  where  the  Lord  could  reveal 
the  Priesthood  and  its  ordinances  which  had  been  taken  away 
or  that  had  not  been  restored.  And,  too,  if  the  temporary 
floors  had  not  been  replaced  by  the  permanent  floors,the  Lord 


There  is  no  contradiction  whatever  here,  for  I  did  not  say, 
as  he  gives  it:  "At  this  time  (June,  1846)  the  Temple  was  not 
quite  finished."  The  reference  taken  from  the  letter  of  Sidney 
Rigdon,  appeared  in  the  Messenger  and  Advocate  of  June,  1846, 
along  with  a  number  of  other  articles  written  in  March,  April 
and  May,  1846.  Any  greenhorn,  much  less  a  man  of  wisdom 
and  intelligence,  knows  that  an  article  appearing  in  a  monthly 
magazine  is  always  written  before  the  date  of  publication  of  the 
magazine,  and  more  was  this  the  case  in  1846,  when  the  modern 
improvements  and  facilities  were  not  to  be  had  by  a  small  coun- 
try publication.  Now,  what  I  did  say — which  would  have  been 
apparent  to  his  readers  had  he  dared  to  publish  the  statement 
of  Sidney  Rigdon  and  my  comment  which  proves  the  diligence 
of  the  Saints  up  to  the  last — was  this:  "This  article  was  written 
just  shortly  after  the  exodus  commenced,  and  at  that  time  (i.  e., 
shortly  after  the  exodus  commenced)  the  Temple  was  not  quite 
finished,  but  it  was  finished  before  all  the  Saints  left  Nauvoo." 
(See  context).  This  harmonizes  perfectly  with  the  date  of  ded- 
ication. Moreover,  Sidney  Rigdon  had  not  been  at  Nauvoo  since 
before  the  exodus  commenced,  which  was  in  February,  1846, 
not  June,  and  was  not  prepared  to  say  just  what  the  Saints  did 
after  that  time. 


48  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

could  and  would  have  revealed  Himself  to  the  Saints  and 
would  have  accepted  of  their  offering.  Now  let's  see  just 
what  the  revelation  does  say  about  this  matter.  Beginning 
at  verse  25. 

"25.     And  again,  verily  I   say  unto  you,  let  all  my  Saints 
come  from  afar; 

26.  And  send  ye  swift  messengers,  yea,  chosen  messengers, 
and  say  unto  them;  come  ye,  with  all  your  gold,  and  your  silver, 
and  your  precious  stones,  and  with  all  your  antiquities;  and  with 
all   who   have   knowledge   of   antiquities,    that   will    come,    may 
come,  and  bring  the  box  tree,  and  the  fir  tree,  and  the  pine  tree, 
together  with  all  the  precious  trees  of  the  earth; 

27.  And  with  iron,  with  copper,  and  with  brass,  and  with 
zinc,  and  with  all  your  precious  things  of  the  earth,  and  build  a 
house  to  my  name,  for  the  most  High  to  dwell  therein; 

28.  For  there  is  not  a  place  found  on  earth  that  he  may 
come  and  restore  again  that  which  was  lost  unto  you,  or  which 
he  hath  taken  away,  even  the  fullness  of  the  Priesthood; 

29.  For  a  baptismal  font  there  is  not  upon  the  earth,  that 
they,  my  Saints,  may  be  baptized  for  those  who  are  dead; 

30.  For  this  ordinance  belongeth  to  my  house,  and  cannot 
be  acceptable  to  me,  only  in  the  days  of  your  poverty,  wherein 
ye  are  not  able  to  build   a  house  unto  me. 

31.  But  I  command  you,  all  ye  my  Saints,  to  build  a  house 
unto  me;  and  I  grant  unto  you  a  sufficient  time  to  build  a  house 
unto  me,  and  during  this  time  your  baptisms  shall  be  acceptable 
unto  me. 

32.  But  behold,  at  the  end  of  this  appointment,  your  bap- 
tisms for  your  dead  shall  not  be  acceptable  unto  me;  and  if  you 
do  not  these  things  at  the  end  of  the  appointment,  ye  shall  be 
rejected  as  a  church,  with  your  dead,  saith  the  Lord  your  God. 

33.  For  verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  after  you  have  had  sufri- 
ient  time  to  build  a  house  to  me,  wherein  the  ordinance  of  bap- 
tizing for  the  dead  belongeth,  and  for  which  the  same  was  in- 
stituted from  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  your  baptisms 
for  your  dead  cannot  be  acceptable  unto  me. 

34.  For  therein   (that  is  in  Temples)   are  the  keys  of  the 
Holy  Priesthood  ordained  that  you  may  receive  honor  and  glory. 

35.  And   after   this   time,   your  baptisms   for   the   dead,   by 
those  who  are  scattered  abroad,  are  not  acceptable  unto  me,  saith 
the  Lord. 

36.  For  it  is  ordained  that  in  Zion,  and  in  her  stakes,  and  in 
Jerusalem,  those  places  which  I  have  appointed  for  refuge,  shall 
be  the  places  for  your  baptisms  for  your  dead. 

37.  And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  How  shall  your  wash- 
ings be  acceptable  unto  me,  except  ye  perform  them  in  a  house 
which  you  have  built  to  my  name? 

38.  For,  for  this  cause  I  commanded  Moses  that  he  should 


THE  REVELATION  ON  TEMPLE  WORK.  49 

build  a  tabernacle,  that  they  should  bear  it  with  them  in  the 
wilderness,  and  to  build  a  house  in  the  land  of  promise  that  thos^ 
ordinances  might  be  revealed  which  had  been  hid  from  before 
the  world  was; 

39.  Therefore,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  your  anointings 
and  your  washings,  and  your  baptisms  for  the  dead,  and  your 
solemn  assemblies,  and  your  memorials  for  your  sacrifices,  by 
the  sons  of  Levi,  and  for  your  oracles  in  your  most  holy  places, 
wherein  you  receive  conversations,  and  your  statutes  and  judg- 
ments, for  the  beginning  of  the  revelation  and  foundation  of 
Zion,  and  for  the  glory,  honor,  and  endowment  of  all  her  muni- 
cipals, are  ordained  by  the  ordinance  of  my  holy  house,  which 
my  people  are  always  commanded  to  build  unto  my  holy  name." 

I  have  read  quite  extensively  from  this  revelation,  now 
let  us  examine  and  see  just  what  is  meant.  At  the  time  this 
revelation  was  given  the  Saints  were  baptizing  in  the  Mis- 
sissippi river  for  their  dead,  this  was  a  special  privilege  that 
the  Lord  granted  them  in  their  poverty  and  while  they  could 
prepare  a  place  in  the  Temple  for  that  ordinance.  He  de- 
clares that  while  that  place  was  being  built  He  would  accept 
of  their  baptisms  in  the  river,  but  just  as  soon  as  a  place 
could  be  prepared  in  the  Temple  baptisms  for  the  dead  in  the 
river  should  cease.  Now  you  will  notice  that  verse  31  reads : 

"But  I  command  you,  all  ye  my  Saints,  to  build  a  house 
unto  me;  and  I  grant  unto  you  a  sufficient  time  to  build  a  house 
unto  me." 

Now  I  wish  you  to  note  what  follows : 

"And  during  this  time  your  baptisms  shall  be  acceptable  un- 
to me." 

I  take  it  that  this  means  that  the  Lord  would  accept  of 
their  baptisms  in  the  river  until  they  could  prepare  a  place 
where  the  ordinance  could  be  attended  to  properly,  and  that 
He  would  not  discontinue  river  baptisms  until  they  had  had 
sufficient  time  to  build  such  a  place.  I  want  to  read  what 
the  president  of  the  "Reorganized"  Church  has  to  say  on  this 
point.  Said  he: 

"Baptisms  for  the  dead  was  a  permissive  rite." 

Of  course  I  do  not  agree  with  him  that  it  was  a  per- 
missive rite,  but  to  continue  the  quotation: 

"Baptism  for  the   dead  was  a  permissive  rite;  or  to  write 


50  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

more  plainly,  the  Church  was  permitted  by  the  Lord  to  baptize 
for  the  dead  under  certain  rules." 

Here  is  the  rule: 

"By  terms  stated  in  the  revelation  this  permissive  rite  could 
be  performed  and  would  be  acceptable  if  performed  in  the  river 
while  the  time  given  the  Church  in  which  the  Temple  should  be 
built  was  passing.  After  the  completion  of  the  Temple,  baptisms 
for  the  dead  were  to  be  performed  in  it."  (Saints'  Herald, 
February  17,  1904). 

We  are  certainly  safe  in  saying  that  the  Lord  would  not 
break  His  promise,  therefore  if  we  can  discover  a  time  when 
baptisms  were  discontinued  in  the  river  it  will  be  a  sign  that 
the  sufficient  time  had  expired,  so  far  as  baptisms  in  the  river 
for  the  dead  were  concerned.  I  turn  to  the  minutes  of  the 
October  conference,  1841,  and  read  from  the  remarks  on 
baptism  for  the  dead  delivered  by  the  Prophet  on  the  third 
day  as  follows : 

"There  shall  be  no  more  baptisms  for  the  dead  until  the  or- 
dinance can  be  attended  to  in  the  font  of  the  Lord's  house;  and 
the  Church  shall  not  hold  another  general  conference,  until  they 
can  meet  in  said  house.  For  thus  saith  the  Lord!"  Times  and 
Seasons,  Vol.  II.,  page  578). 

Remember  this  was  in  October,  1841 — six  months  after 
the  first  stone  of  the  Temple  was  laid-  Was  the  Temple 
finished?  No.  Was  the  Church  then  rejected  with  its  dead? 
Verily  no !  for  this  was  1841,  and  I  have  already  referred  you 
to  the  editorial  of  the  Prophet's  of  May,  1842,  wherein  he 
says  that  never  since  the  formation,  or  foundation,  of  the 
Church  was  laid,  have  the  Saints  been  so  willing  to  comply 
with  the  requisitions  of  Jehovah,  and  manifested  a  more  ar- 
dent desire  to  do  the  will  of  God,  than  in  the  building  of  that 
Temple.  Therefore  they  could  not  have  been  rejected.  Yet 
the  sufficient  time  was  up.*  What  must  we  then  conclude? 


*In  answer  to  the  question,  "when  was  the  Church  rejected 
with  its  dead?"  the  president  of  the  "Reorganization"  in  an 
editorial  in  the  Saints'  Herald,  February  17,  1905,  said:  "We  are 
not  aware  that  specific  date  or  time,  or  any  one  specific  act 
has  been  fixed  upon  as  the  time  and  the  event  when  and  why  the 
Church  was  rejected."  He  then  declares  that  the  seed  was  sown 


BAPTISM  IN  THE  FONT.  51 

That  the  Temple  had  progressed  so  far  that  baptisms  could 
be  performed  in  it  for  the  dead  in  accordance  with  the  reve- 
lation, and  it  did  not  depend  altogether,  you  will  see,  on  the 
complete  finishing  of  the  building;  and  as  the  rooms  were 

as  early  as  1843  that  finally  grew  and  culminated  in  the  "re- 
jection of  the  Church." 

Mr.  Heman  C.  Smith  quotes  Lyman  Wight  (True  Succes- 
sion, p.  74)  as  follows:  "We  were  to  have  sufficient  time  to 
build  that  house,  [Nauvoo  Temple]  during  which  time  our 
baptisms  for  our  dead  should  be  acceptable  in  the  river.  If  we 
did  not  build  within  this  time  we  were  to  be  rejected  as  a  church, 
we  and  our  dead  together.  Both  the  Temple  and  baptizing  went 
very  leisurely,  till  the  Temple  was  somewhere  in  building  the 
second  story,  when  Brother  Joseph  from  the  stand  announced 
the  alarming  declaration  that  baptism  for  the  dead  was  no  longer 
acceptable  in  the  river.  As  much  to  say  the  time  for  building 
the  Temple  had  passed  by,  and  both  we  and  our  dead  were  re- 
jected together.  *  *  * 

"The  Church  now  stands  rejected  together  with  their  dead. 
The  Church  being  rejected  now  stands  alienated  from  her  God 
in  every  sense  of  the  word."' 

Mr.  Heman  C.  Smith  accepts  this  statement  saying:  "What 
but  blind  ambition  to  rule  prevented  others  of  the  signers 
[Apostles]  from  recognizing  the  consequence  so  apparent?" 

This  was  written  by  Lyman  Wight  in  1851  and  was  an 
afterthought  on  his  part,  for  he  continued  to  work  in  the  ministry 
until  the  death  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith,  without  one  inti- 
mation by  word  or  deed  that  the  Church  had  been  rejected  in 
1841.  Moreover,  if  the  Saints  could  get  the  structure  of  a  build- 
ing that  cost  a  million  dollars  "somewhere  in  building  the  sec- 
ond story"  in  that  time  of  distress  and  trouble,  within  about 
six  months  they  could  not  possibly  have  worked  very  leisurely, 
and  the  Prophet  in  1842  praised  them  for  their  diligence  and 
zeal.  (See  page  38). 

Another  Reorganite  writer  (A  .M.  Chase)  in  the  Saints' 
Herald  for  Tune  20,  1906,  declares  that  the  Church  was  rejected 
in  1841:  "When  this  appointment  was  ended  by  revelation, 
October  3,  1841,  and  the  temple  not  completed,  then  all  Israel 
should  have  known  they  were  'rejected  as  a  church'  with  their 
dead." 

It  is  quite  evident  that  the  sufficient  time  was  up  on  this 
date,  for  they  were  to  have  the  privilege  to  baptize  in  the  river 
"while  the  time  was  passing"  and  this  privilege  of  baptizing 
in  the  river  terminated,  October  3,  1841,  thus  proving  that  the 
time  had  come  for  baptisms  in  the  Temple.  It  was  not  finished 
and  the  revelation  did  not  call  for  it  to  be  finished,  and  at  this 
time  it  was  built  sufficiently  for  this  ordinance  to  be  attended  to 
in  the  font  in  the  proper  way.  For  that  reason  the  Lord 


52  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

finished  one  by  one  and  dedicated,  they  too,  could  be  used 
for  the  ordinances  of  the  Temple  until  the  whole  Temple 
was  built. 

Are  we  right  in  our  conclusion  that  a  font  had  been 
built  ?  Yes,  a  temporary  font  had  been  built  in  the  basement 
of  the  Temple — a  temporary  one — but  obviously  one  that 
answered  the  requirements  of  the  revelation.  Moreover,  in 
this  temporary  font,  which  was  used  by  the  command  of  the 
Lord  through  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  baptisms  for  the 
dead  were  performed  from  November,  1841,  until  it  was  re- 
placed by  the  permanent  font,  and  then  these  baptisms  con- 
tinued in  that  until  the  Saints  were  driven  from  Nauvoo. 

BAPTISMS  FOR  THE  DEAD  OBLIGATORY. 

We  will  now  examine  the  thirty-second  verse ;  it  is : 

"But  behold,  at  the  end  of  this  appointment,  your  baptisms 
for  your  dead  shall  not  be  acceptable  unto  me." 

That  means,  of  course,  the  baptisms  in  the  river  shall 
not  be  acceptable  after  the  font  is  built.  But  listen  to  this : 

"And  if  you  do  not  these  things  at  the  END  OF  THE  AP- 
POINTMENT ye  shall  be  rejected  as  a  church,  with  your  dead, 
saith  the  Lord  your  God." 

If  you  do  not  do  what  things  ?    Does  it  mean  if  you  do 


transferred  the  ordinance  of  baptism  for  the  dead  from  the  river 
to  the  font  of  the  Lord's  House.  That  he  had  not  rejected  the 
Church  is  evident  from  this  very  commandment,  for  in  it  the 
Lord  tells  them  to  baptize  in  the  font  in  the  Temple,  which  He 
would  not  have  done  had  they  been  rejected.  If  He  had  re- 
jected them  He  would  have  stated  so  positively  in  a  revelation 
to  the  Prophet,  for  he  received  several  revelations  after  this 
event  and  some  of  them  were  concerning  baptism  for  the  dead 
and  temple  work.  (See  sections  127  and  128).  This  command- 
ment given  to  the  Church  in  1841  and  other  revelations  subse- 
quently, prove  conclusively  that  the  Lord  would  and  did  accept 
of  the  work  for  the  dead  in  the  Temple,  without  it  being  "com- 
pletely finished,"  after  the  privilege  to  baptize  in  the  river  had 
expired.  The  thingr  for  which  they  were  to  be  rejected  was 
the  failure  to  perform  these  ordinances,  after  the  expiration  of 
river  baptisms,  and  the  Saints  did  not  fail  to  perform  the  ordi- 
nances in  the  Temple. 


BAPTISM  FOR  THE  DEAD  OBLIGATORY.     53 

not  build  the  Temple  at  the  END  of  the  appointment?  That 
would  be  absurd.  It  means,  if  you  do  not  perform  your 
baptisms  for  your  dead  and  the  ordinances  for  the  dead 
at  the  end — not  the  beginning,  but  the  end — of  the  appoint- 
ment, then  will  you  be  rejected  with  your  dead.  So  you  see 
it  was  not  the  failure  to  finish  the  attic,  or  to  carve  figures  in 
the  woodwork,  or  embellish  the  building  by  placing  pictures 
on  the  walls,  or  painting  them;  it  was  not  for  this  that  the 
Church  was  to  be  rejected;  but  it  was  to  be  rejected  with  its 
dead  if  it  failed  to  perform  the  work  in  the  Temple  for  the 
dead  when  the  opportunity  was  afforded.  Now  let  us  see  if 
this  view  is  not  in  harmony  with  other  Scriptures.  I  turn  to 
the  second  section  of  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants.  Here  the 
angel  says : 

"Behold,  I  will  reveal  unto  you  the  Priesthood,  by  the  hand 
of  Elijah  the  prophet,  before  the  coming  of  the  great  and  dread- 
ful day  of  the  Lord. 

"And  he  shall  plant  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  the  prom- 
ises made  to  the  fathers,  and  the  hearts  of  the  children  shall  turn 
to  their  fathers. 

"If  it  were  not  so,  the  whole  earth  would  be  UTTERLY 
WASTED  AT  ITS  COMING." 

Why  would  the  earth  be  wasted?  Simply  because  if 
there  is  not  a  welding  link  between  the  fathers  and  the  chil- 
dren— which  is  the  work  for  the  dead — then  we  will  all  stand 
rejected ;  the  whole  work  of  God  will  fail  and  be  utterly  wast- 
ed. Such  a  condition  of  course,  shall  not  be.  When  Elijah 
restored  this  Priesthood,  he  said  that  the  time  spoken  of  had 
fully  come,  and  that  the  dreadful  day  of  the  Lord  was  near, 
even  at  the  doors. 

Let  us  now  see  what  Joseph  Smith  had  to  say  in  relation 
to  this.  Speaking  of  the  baptism  and  salvation  for  the  dead, 
he  said: 

"The  GREATEST  RESPONSIBILITY  in  this  world  that 
God  has  laid  upon  us,  is  to  seek  after  our  dead.  The  apostle  says 
they  without  us  cannot  be  made  perfect.  Now  I  will  speak  of 
them:  I  say  to  you,  Paul,  you  cannot  be  perfect  without  us;  it  is 
necessary  that  those  who  have  gone  before,  and  those  who  come 
after  us  should  have  salvation  in  common  with  us,  and  thus  hath 
God  made  it  OBLIGATORY  to  man.  Hence  God  said  He  would 
send  Elijah."  (Times  and  Seasons,  6:616). 


54  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

Moreover,  at  the  conference  held  October,  1841,  to 
which  I  have  already  referred,  the  prophet  said  this : 

"Baptism  for  the  dead  is  the  only  way  that  men  can  appear 
as  saviors  on  Mount  Zion.  The  proclamation  of  the  first  prin- 
ciples of  the  gospel  was  a  means  of  salvation  to  men  individu- 
ally, and  it  was  the  truth,  not  men,  that  saved  them;  but  men 
by  actively  engaging  in  rites  of  salvation  substitutionally,  be- 
come instrumental  in  bringing  multitudes  of  their  kin  into  the 
Kingdom  of  God." 

"This  doctrine" — that  is,  baptism  for  the  dead — "he  said, 
presents  in  a  clear  light  the  wisdom  and  mercy  of  God,  in  pre- 
paring an  ordinance  for  the  salvation  of  the  dead,  being  baptized 
by  proxy,  their  names  recorded  in  heaven,  and  they  judged  ac- 
cording to  the  deeds  done  in  the  body." 

Now  here  comes  the  most  important  statement. 

—"This  doctrine  was  the  BURDEN  OF  THE  SCRIP- 
TURES. Those  Saints  who  NEGLECT  it  in  behalf  of  their 
deceased  relatives,  do  it  at  the  PERIL  OF  THEIR  OWN  SAL- 
VATION." 

There  we  have  the  key  to  the  whole  situation.  If  we 
neglect  the  salvation  of  our  dead  when  we  have  the  oppor- 
tunity to  save  them,  then  we  ourselves  will  be  rejected,  and 
that  is  just  what  the  revelation  of  January  19,  1841,  says. 
In  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  Section  128,  verse  5,  we  are 
told  that  baptism  for  the  dead  was  prepared  from  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world,  "for  the  salvation  of  the  dead," 
mark  this,  "WHO  SHOULD  DIE  WITHOUT  A 
KNOWLEDGE  OF  THE  GOSPEL !"  And  in  verse  15  : 

"And  now,  my  dearly  beloved  brethren  and  sisters,  let  me 
assure  you  that  these  are  principles  in  relation  to  the  dead  and 
the  living  that  cannot  be  lightly  passed  over,  as  pertaining  to 
our  salvation,  as  Paul  says  concerning  the  fathers,  'that  they 
without  us  cannot  be  made  perfect,  neither  can  we  without  our 
dead  be  made  perfect.' " 

Here  we  have  it  in  this  revelation  that  if  we  do  not  save 
our  dead  we  cannot  ourselves  be  saved,  therefore  if  we  ne- 
glect their  salvation,  we  ourselves  will  be  rejected.  Now 
verse  18: 


BAPTISM  FOR  THE  DEAD  OBLIGATORY.     55 

"It  is  sufficient  to  know  *  *  *  that  the  earth  will  be 
smitten  with  a  curse,  UNLESS  there  is  a  welding  link  of  some 
.,ind  or  other,  between  the  fathers  and  the  children,  upon  some 
subject  or  other,  and  behold  what  is  that  subject?  IT  IS  THE 
BAPTISM  FOR  THE  DEAD.  .  For  we  without  them  cannot 
be  made  perfect;  neither  can  they  without  us  be  made  perfect. 
Neither  can  they  nor  we  be  made  perfect  without  those  who  have 
died  in  the  Gospel  also;  for  it  is  necessary  in  the  ushering  in 
of  the  dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  times,  which  dispensation 
is  now  beginning  to  usher  in,  that  a  whole  and  complete  and 
perfect  union  and  welding  together  of  dispensations,  and  keys, 
and  powers,  and  glories,  should  take  place,  and  be  revealed, 
from  the  days  of  Adam  even  to  the  present  time;  and  not  only 
this,  but  those  things  which  never  have  been  revealed  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world,  but  have  been  kept  hid  from  the  wise 
and  prudent  shall  be  revealed  unto  babes  and  sucklings  in  this 
the  dispensation  of  the  fullnes  of  times." 

SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  IMPORTANT. 

Now,  is  it  not  plain  to  see  how  important  this  doctrine  is, 
and  why  the  Saints  were  to  be  rejected?  But  they  were  not 
rejected  for  they  performed  the  baptisms  for  their  dead,  and 
are  today  performing  the  baptisms  and  the  ordinances  for 
and  in  behalf  of  their  dead-  Therefore  they  are  not  rejected. 
Again,  the  Prophet  says  that  the  Saints  have  not  too  much 
time  to  save  and  redeem  their  dead,  and  gather  their  living 
relatives  together  that  they  may  be  saved  also,  before  the 
earth  will  be  smitten,  as  revealed  by  Malachi.  Therefore  it 
is  quite  evident  why  the  Lord  permitted  them  to  baptize  in 
the  river,  and  not  wait  until  those  ordinances  could  be  per- 
formed in  the  Temple,  and  why  He  was  so  anxious  that  they 
should  hurry  and  prepare  a  place  in  the  Temple,  where  they 
could  be  performed  in  accordance  with  the  plan  from  before 
the  foundation  of  the  world. 

Here  is  another  statement  that  I  wish  to  refer  to.  In  an 
editorial  in  the  Times  and  Seasons  written  by  the  Prophet, 
in  volume  3,  pages  759-761,  where  he  is  speaking  of  the  re- 
marks made  by  the  Savior  to  the  Jews,  that  upon  them 
should  come  all  the  righteous  blood  shed  upon  the  earth 
from  the  blood  of  righteous  Abel,  unto  the  blood  of  Zacha- 
rias,  son  of  Barachias,  who  was  slain  between  the  Temple 
and  the  altar,  Joseph  the  Prophet  declares  in  most  emphatic 


56  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

terms  that  the  reason  why  this  blood  was  to  come  upon  these 
Jews  was,  that: 

"They  possessed  greater  privileges  than  any  other  genera- 
tion, not  only  as  pertaining  to  themselves  but  to  their  dead,  their 
sin  was  greater  as  they  not  only  neglected  their  own  salvation 
but  that  of  their  progenitors,  and  hence  their  blood  was  required 
at  their  hands." 

Now,  if  these  Jews  were  to  answer  Jor  the  blood  of  their 
progenitors  because  they  neglected  the  salvation  of  their 
dead,  then,  may  we  not  ask;  will  not  we  have  to  answer 
for  the  blood  of  our  dead  if  we  neglect  these  ordinances 
in  their  behalf?  It  matters  not  even  if  we  have  been  bap- 
tized and  have  had  hands  laid  on  our  heads  for  the  reception 
of  the  Holy  Ghost;  if  we  wilfully  neglect  the  salvation  of 
our  dead,  then  also  we  shall  stand  rejected  of  the  Lord  be- 
cause we  have  rejected  our  dead ;  and  just  so  sure  their  blood 
will  be  required  at  our  hands. 

Now,  what  is  the  attitude  of  the  "Reorganized"  Church 
in  relation  to  the  salvation  of  the  dead,  the  neglect  of  which 
the  Church — yes,  and  also  the  individual — was  to  stand  re- 
jected of  the  Lord?  I  have  here  a  copy  of  a  resolution  that 
was  passed  by  the  general  conference  of  that  sect  in  1886,  at 
the  time  that  Mr.  Briggs  withdrew.  This  resolution  is  in 
reply  to  his  charge  that  he  could  not  accept  the  principle  of 
"baptism  for  the  dead."  Here  it  is: 

"That  as  to  the  alleged  Temple  building  and  ceremonial  en- 
dowments therein,  that  we  know  of  no  Temple  building,  except 
as  edifices  wherein  to  worship  God,  and  no  endowment  except 
the  endowment  of  the  Holy  Spirit  of  the  kind  experienced  by 
the  early  Saints  on  Pentecost  day." 

"  'Baptism  for  the  dead'  referred  to  belongs  to  those  local 
questions  of  which  the  body  has  said  by  resolution: 

"  'That  the  commandments  of  a  local  character,  given  to  the 
first  organization  of  the  Church  are  binding  on  the  Reorganiza- 
tion only  so  far  as  they  are  either  reiterated  or  referred  to  as 
binding  by  commandment  to  this  church.  And  that  principle 
has  neither  been  reiterated  nor  referred  to  as  a  commandment." 

Just  think  of  that !  They  declare  that  we  were  rejected 
because  we  failed  to  build  a  house  where  these  ordinances 


REORGANITES  REJECTED  WITH  THEIR  DEAD.    57 

were  to  be  performed,  and  yet  they  actually  have  the  auda- 
city to  say  that  the  work  of  salvation  for  the  dead  is  not 
binding  on  them  because  it  has  not  been  reiterated  or  re- 
ferred to  as  a  commandment  binding  on  them.  Now  is  that 
consistent?  They  call  it  a  local  commandment,  yet  we  have 
seen  that  this  commandment  was  the  burden  of  the  Scrip- 
tures and  the  greatest  responsibility  that  God  has  placed 
upon  us,  and  we  are  obliged  to  save  our  dead  if  we  would 
ourselves  be  saved.  And  yet,  this  commandment  without 
which  the  whole  earth  was  to  be  utterly  wasted  and  de- 
stroyed— this  eternal  commandment  that  had  been  prepared 
before  the  foundation  of  the  world — is  not  binding  on  them ! 
"A  local  commandment !"  "A  permissive  rite !"  My  friends, 
from  the  teachings  of  Joseph  Smith  the  Prophet,  which  I 
have  presented,  you  may  well  judge  which  is  the  Church 
"rejected  with  its  dead."* 


*The  Reorganite  "defender"  at  this  point  carefully  avoids 
the  evidence  and  argument  presented  here,  and  argues  at  great 
length  attempting  to  prove  that  the  Church  was  rejected  because 
the  Lord  said  He  was  "about  to  restore  many  things  to  the  earth 
pertaining  to  the  Priesthood."  The  Lord  said:  "I  deign  to  reveal 
unto  My  Church,  things  which  have  been  kept  hid  from  before 
the  foundation  of  the  world,  things  that  pertain  to  the  dispen- 
sation of  the  fullness  of  times."  The  "defender"  says  these  things 
were  not  revealed,  nor  restored  to  the  Church;  that  no  revela- 
tions that  were  kept  hid  from  before  the  foundation  of  the  world, 
pertaining  to  the  Priesthood  in  the  dispensation  of  the  fullness 
of  times,  have  been  revealed  from  heaven;  therefore  the  Church 
was  rejected  with  its  dead.  He  says  their  Doctrine  and  Cove- 
nants contains  no  such  revelations;  that  no  such  revelations  are 
to  be  found  in  our  edition  of  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants;  and, 
therefore,  he  concludes,  no  such  revelations  have  been  given 
to  us,  or  the  Church;  so  the  Church  must  have  been  rejected. 

He  asks  me  to  answer  the  following  questions:  "Now  let 
us  ask,  Mr.  Smith:  Have  any  such  revelations  been  received? 
Name  them.  Where  are  they  and  what  are  they?" 

I  have  taken  this  matter  up  under  the  head  of  "Temple 
Building  and  Ceremonial  Endowments  Therein."  All  that  is 
necessary  to  say  here  is  this:  If  the  Lord  kept  things  hid  from 
the  world  since  before  the  foundation  thereof  was  laid  and  now 
has  revealed  them  to  His  people,  they  are  not  intended  for  the 
world  and  necessarily  will  not  be  found  in  the  written  word. 
Such  revelations  have  been  revealed  unto  the  Church  in  the 
Temples  of  the  Lord;  but  I  shall  not  name  them.  If  the  Lord 
saw  fit  to  keep  them  from  the  world,  yes,  and  from  the  dispen- 


58  ORIGIN    OF   "REORGANIZED"    CHURCH. 

sations  past,  He  does  not  intend  to  reveal  them  to  the  world 
now;  neither  to  the  scoffer  and  the  unbeliever  in  His  works. 
Let  our  friend  read  Matthew  7:  10-12,  as  it  is  given  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures:  "And  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  ye  shall  keep  within 
yourselves;  for  it  is  not  meet  to  give  that  which  is  holy  unto  the 
dogs;  neither  cast  ye  your  pearls  unto  swine,  lest  they  trample 
them  under  their  feet.  For  the  world  cannot  receive  that  which 
ye,  yourselves,  are  not  able  to  bear;  wherefore  ye  shall  not 
give  your  pearls  unto  them,  lest  they  turn  again  and  rend  you." 


Succession  in  the  Presidency 
of  the  Church. 


An  Address  Delivered  in  the  Weber  Stake  Tabernacle,  Ogden, 
Sundy,  April  28,  1907,  by  Elder  Joseph  F.  Smith,  Jr. 


A  short  time  ago  I  was  invited  to  address  the  Saints 
from  this  stand  on  the  subject  of  "The  Origin  of  the  Re- 
organized Church."  It  has  been  thought  by  some  that  it 
would  be  wise  to  continue  the  subject  and  therefore  I  have 
been  invited  to  address  you  this  afternoon  on  the  question 
of  Succession  in  the  Presidency  of  the  Church.  In  doing  so, 
I  desire  it  to  be  understood  that  I  have  no  feeling  of  ani- 
mosity towards  those  of  a  different  faith;  but  so  much  has 
been  said  on  the  other  side  of  this  question,  and  so  little  in 
our  defense,  that  I  feel  it  important  to  deal  with  this  subject. 

The  testimony  on  which  members  of  the  so-called  "Re- 
organized" Church  base  their  contention  that  Joseph,  son  of 
the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  should  have  succeeded  his  father 
in  the  Presidency  of  the  Church  is  as  follows : 

1.  That  it  is  his  right  by  the  law  of  lineage — that  the 
office  of  president  of  the  High  Priesthood  descends  from 
father  to  the  first  born  son. 

2.  That  it  is  his  right  by  appointment  of  his  father. 

3.  That  he  was  properly  ordained  by  those  holding  the 
authority  to  preach  and  administer  in  the  ordinances  of  the 
gospel. 

We  shall  take  these  questions  up  and  consider  them 
and  will  refer  to  the  passages  in  the  Doctrine  and  Cove- 
nants that  are  used  by  these  people,  together  with  other  pas- 
sages that  they  do  not  use,  and  we  will  see  just  how  much 
there  is  in  them  in  support  of  their  position. 


60  SUCCESSION   IN   THE, PRESIDENCY. 

We  will  first  consider  the  statement  that  the  Prophet 
was  to  choose  his  successor.  The  passages  referred  to  in 
support  of  this  are  in  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants  as  fol- 
lows :  Sections  28 : 6-7,  35  :  18,  and  43 :  2-5.  These  I  shall 
read  to  you.  I  cannot  stop  now  to  explain  the  circumstances 
under  which  these  revelations  were  given,  and  take  it  for 
granted  that  you  will  consider  that  matter  for  yourselves. 
The  first  of  these  was  given  to  Oliver  Cowdery  and  I  read, 
beginning  with  the  4th  verse : 

"And  if  thou  art  led  at  any  time  by  the  Comforter,  to 
speak  or  teach,  or  at  all  times  by  the  way  of  commandment 
unto  the  Church,  thou  mayest  do  it.  But  thou  shalt  not  write 
by  way  of  commandment,  but  by  wisdom;  and  thou  shalt  not 
command  him  who  is  at  thy  head,  and  at  the  head  of  the 
Church,  for  I  have  given  him  the  keys  of  the  mysteries,  and 
the  revelations  which  are  sealed,  until  I  shall  appoint  unto 
them  another  in  his  stead." 

You  see,  the  Lord  was  to  appoint  another. 
The  passage  in  section  35  is  as  follows : 

"And  I  have  sent  forth  the  fullness  of  my  Gospel  by  the 
hand  of  my  servant  Joseph;  and  in  weakness  have  I  blessed 
him,  and  I  have  given  unto  him  the  keys  of  the  mystery  of 
those  things  which  have  been  sealed,  even  things  which  were 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world,  and  the  things  which  shall 
come  from  this  time  until  the  time  of  my  coming,  IF  HE 
ABIDE  IN  ME,  AND  IF  NOT,  ANOTHER  WILL  I  PLANT 
IN  HIS  STEAD.  Wherefore,  watch  over  him  that  his  faith 
fail  not,  and  it  shall  be  given  by  the  Comforter,  the  Holy 
Ghost,  that  knoweth  all  things." 

The  third  passage  is  as  follows,  beginning  with  the  first 
verse : 

"O  hearken,  ye  Elders  of  my  Church,  and  give  an  ear  to 
the  word  which  I  shall  speak  unto  you;  for  behold  verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  that  ye  have  received  a  commandment  for  a 
law  unto  my  Church,  through  him  whom  I  have  appointed  unto 
you,  to  receive  commandments  and  revelations  from  my  hand. 

"And  this  ye  shall  know  assuredly  that  there  is  none  other 
appointed  unto  vou  to  receive  commandments  and  revelations 
until  he  be  taken,  if  he  abide  in  me.  But  verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you,  that  none  else  shall  be  appointed  unto  this  gift  ex- 
cept it  be  through  him,  FOR  IF  IT  BE  TAKEN  FROM  HIM, 


THE  PROPHET'S  PREPARATION.  61 

he  shall  not  have  power  except  to  appoint  another  in  his  stead; 
and  this  shall  be  a  law  unto  you,  that  ye  receive  not  the  teach- 
ings of  any  that  shall  come  before  you  as  revelations  or  com- 
mandments; and  this  I  give  unto  you  that  you  may  not  be  de- 
ceived, that  you  may  know  they  are  not  of  me." 

These  revelations,  extracts  from  which  I  have  read, 
were  all  given  between  September,  1830,  and  the  first  of 
March,  1831.  At  that  time  the  Church  was  less  than  one 
year  old,  and  was  not  fully  organized  with  its  various  offi- 
cers as  we  have  it  today.  The  quorums  of  Apostles  and 
Seventies  were  not  called  till  1835 — over  four  years  subse- 
quent to  these  revelations.  When  they  were  given  the  Prophet 
Joseph  was  young  and  inexperienced,  and  this  law  was 
laid  down  for  the  government  of  the  Church  as  it  existed 
at  that  time,  as  these  revelations  clearly  indicate.  You  will 
notice  from  these  passages,  that  the  Lord  was  to  choose  an- 
other in  the  Prophet's  stead  in  case  of  his  removal  through 
transgression,  or  for  any  other  cause,  during  that  incipient 
stage  of  the  history  of  the  Church.  It  was  necessary  at 
that  time  that  some  provision  be  made  for  the  perpetuity  of 
the  prophetic  office,  in  case  that  Joseph  Smith  should  not 
prove  faithful  to  the  great  trust  in  the  days  of  his  prepara- 
tion and  qualification,  and  before  he  became  thoroughly  seas- 
oned and  fitted  for  this  important  calling.  In  such  an  emer- 
gency the  power  of  necessity  must  have  been  conferred  by 
Joseph  Smith  on  his  successor,  for  he  held  the  keys;  there- 
fore, the  Lord  declared  that  in  case  of 'the  prophet's  trans- 
gression or  removal,  he  would  still  retain  the  power  in  that 
case  to  ordain  his  successor  and  to  confer  upon  such  suc- 
cessor, whom  the  Lord  was  to  choose,  the  keys  and  auth- 
ority that  had  been  conferred  upon  him. 

It  must  also  be  remembered  that  the  Prophet  Joseph, 
like  the  prophets  of  old  and  even  the  Savior  Himself,  had  to 
continue  from  grace  to  grace  and  "increase  in  wisdom  and 
stature,  and  in  favor  with  God,"  and  with  him,  as  with  the 
Master,  "he  received  not  a  fullness  at  first;"  but  through, 
trials,  tribulations,  and  varied  experiences,  had  to  prove  his 
worthiness  before  God  in  order  that  he  might  hold  the  keys 
of  the  kingdom.  It  was  during  this  period  of  preparation 
that  the  expression  in  the  revelations  quoted  were  given  re- 


62  SUCCESSION  IN  THE  PRESIDENCY. 

garding  the  appointment  of  a  successor;  but  later  the  Lord 
revealed  more  of  His  will,  and  the  Church  was  established 
with  all  the  proper  officers  and  quorums  for  its  guidance  and 
perpetuity,  when  death  should  remove  its  President.  More- 
over, while  in  these  revelations  the  Lord  prepared  the  means 
of  a  successor  in  case  of  the  transgression  or  removal  of 
Joseph  Smith,  later  when  he  had  proved  himself  and  evinced 
before  God  through  his  faithfulness  that  he  was  worthy  of 
the  trust  placed  in  him,  the  Lord  declared  that  the  keys  of 
the  kingdom  should  never  be  taken  from  him  in  the  follow- 
ing words : 

"Thus  saith  the  Lord,  verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you  my  son, 
thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee  according  to  thy  petition,  for  thy 
prayers  and  the  prayers  of  thy  brethren  have  come  up  into  my 
ears;  Therefore  thou  art  blessed  from  henceforth  that  bear 
the  keys  of  the  kingdom  given  unto  you;  which  kingdom  is  com- 
ing forth  for  the  last  time. 

"Verily  I  say  unto  you,  the  keys  of  this  kingdom  shall 
NEVER  be  taken  from  you,  while  thou  art  in  the  world,  neith- 
er in  the  world  to  come;  nevertheless,  through  you  shall  the 
oracles  be  given  to  another,  yea,  even  unto  the  CHURCH." 

I  take  it  as  a  natural  sequence  that  this  law  which  was 
given  in  March,  1833,  superseded  the  provision  made  in  1830 
and  winter  of  1831,  wherein  a  law  was  given  as  a  protection 
to  the  Church  in  case  of  the  taking  away  of  the  keys  from 
Joseph  the  Prophet — a  contingency  that  did  not  arise.*  Later 

*Serious  objection  is  raised  to  this  line  of  argument  by  the 
author  of  the  "defense,"  who  attempts  to  place  me  in  a  false 
position  by  imputing  to  me  expressions  that  are  not  here  con- 
veyed. Had  he  been  honest  in  his  argument  he  would  have 
fairly  presented  what  I  have  had  to  say;  but  this  he  has  stu- 
diously avoided  throughout  his  reply.  Here  he  argues  that  the 
provisions  in  these  revelations  regarding  a  "successor"  were  not 
limited  in  their  scope,  but  were  to  be  carried  out  during  the 
life  of  Joseph  Smith.  I  respectfully  call  his  attention  to  an 
editorial  in  the  Saints'  Herald  of  August  18,  1888.  At  that  time 
Joseph  Smith,  his  president,  and  William  W.  Blair,  counselor, 
were  the  editors  of  the  Herald.  The  article  is  called  "The 
Power  to  Perpetuate  the  Church."  After  quoting  these  passages 
the  author — presumably  the  editor,  or  his  assistant,  for  it  is 
an  editorial — continues: 

(d)  "The  authority  to  ordain  is  given  unto  the  Church. 

(e)  "  'Verily,   I    say  unto   you,   the  keys   of  this   kingdom 


ORACLES  GIVEN  TO  THE  CHURCH.  63 

in  the  year  1835,  when  the  Twelve  Apostles  were  chosen  and 
their  duties  defined,  the  Lord  declared  that  they  were  equal 
with  the  Presidency  as  a  quorum.  That  is,  in  case  of  the  dis- 
solution or  destruction  of  the  First  Presidency  of  the  Church, 


shall  never  be  taken  from  you,  while  thou  art  in  the  world, 
neither  in  the  world  to  come;  nevertheless,  through  you  shall 
the  oracles  be  given  to  another;  yea,  even  unto  the  Church.' 

(f)  "This  language  was  addressed  to  Joseph  Smith,  the  one 
who  had  been  appointed  of  God  to  hold  and  exercise  the  gift 
to  receive  commandments  and  revelations  for  the  Church,  two 
full  years  after  it  was  said  through  him  that  if  he  fell  away  he 
should  have  power  only  to  appoint  one  in  his  stead.    The  saying  is 
preceded  by  the  statement  that  the  sins  of  Joseph  Smith  had 
been  forgiven  him,  and  he  should  bear  the  keys  from  thence- 
forth. 

(g)  "Joseph    Smith   was   taken   away   dying   a   martyr,    of 
which  death  he  was  conscious  and  made  preparation  before  it 
occurred.    He  was  not  accused  of  the  Lord  of  transgression  and 
the   gift   that   had  been   conferred   upon  him  taken   from   him; 
nor   was    there   a   command   given   him   to   appoint   another   in 
his  stead  because  he  had  been  unworthy  and  the  Lord  proposed 
to  depose  him  from  his  office.     It  was  only  in  the  event  of  the 
gift  being  taken  from  him  that  he  was  to  so  appoint  another.     This 
event  did  not  occur.     *     *     * 

"If  Joseph  Smith  had  been  adjudged  unworthy  to  longer 
bear  the  "keys"  and  exercise  the  "gift,"  which  had  been  con- 
ferred upon  him,  he  was  under  obligation  to  declare  it,  at 
the  command  of  God,  and  to  designate  who  the  Lord  had  or- 
dained to  act  in  his  stead.  The  fact  that  no  such  declaration  was 
made,  is  strong  proof  that  no  command  came  from  God,  and 
no  one  was  so  designated  to  act  in  his  stead  while  he  was  still 
living.  This  proof  is  made  stronger  still  by  the  declaration 
made  by  Joseph  Smith  just  before  his  death:  "I  go  as  a  lamb 
to  the  slaughter." 

(h)  "If  Joseph  Smith  continued  to  abide  in  Christ,  which 
all  must  admit  that  he  did,  in  that  case  the  gift  conferred  was 
to  continue  with  him;  not  only  in  the  present  world,  the  life 
of  the  flesh,  but  the  keys  were  to  remain  with  him  in  the  world 
to  come.  But  that  no  harm  could  come  to  the  Church,  and  the 
ciders  be  put  in  possession  of  a  key  to  the  situation  in  case 
Joseph  Smith  should  be  taken,  they  were  told  that  there  was  no 
one  other  than  he  appointed  until  he  was  taken,  and  that  when  this 
should  occur  the  oracles  should  be  given  to  the  Church. 

(k)  'The  command,  'Nevertheless  through  you  shall  the 
oracles  be  given  unto  the  Church,'  is  equivalent  to  the  saying, 
Until  Joseph  Smith  be  taken  he  shall  continue  to  act  in  the 
office  unto  which  he  is  called,  and  shall  continue  to  exercise 
the  gifts  conferred  upon  him;  but  when  he  is  taken,  then  the 


64  SUCCESSION   IN  THE   PRESIDENCY. 

the  Twelve  should  succeed  to  the  presidency,  and  would  thus 
act  until  such  time  and  place  as  the  Lord  revealed  that  the 
First  Presidency  should  be  again  organized.  And  whenever 
the  First  Presidency  should  be  disorganized  it  would  devolve 
upon  the  Apostles'  quorum  to  set  in  order  and  direct  the 
affairs  of  the  Church.  I  quote  from  the  one  hundred  and 
seventh  section. 

"And  they  (that  is  the  Twelve)  form  a  quorum,  equal  in 
authority  and  power  to  the  three  Presidents  previously  men- 
tioned. 

"The  Seventy  are  also  called  to  preach  the  Gospel  and  to 
be  especial  witnesses  unto  the  Gentiles  and  in  all  the  world. 
Thus  differing  from  other  officers  in  the  Church  in  the  duties 
of  their  calling. 

"And  they  form  a  quorum  equal  in  authority  to  that  of 
the  Twelve  special  witnesses  or  Apostles  just  named." 

That  is  to  say :  that  when  the  First  Presidency  is  disor- 
ganized, the  Twelve  Apostles  become  the  presiding  quorum 
of  the  Church  until  the  presidency  is  again  organized,  and 
during  that  time  they  are  virtually  the  Presidency  of  the 
Church — the  presiding  quorum.  If  through  some  cause- — 
which  is  not  likely  to  arise — both  these  quorums  should  be 
destroyed  then  it  would  devolve  on  the  Seventies  to  set  in 
order  the  Church  and  they  would  become  the  presiding 
quorum.  This  is  the  law  that  God  has  revealed,  and  it  is 

oracles  and  the  power  conferred  in  them  are  lodged  with,  or  in 
the  Church,  to  be  exercised  and  observed  in  accordance  with 
the  revelations  and  commandments  given  to  and  accepted  by  the 
Church,  from  God  through  him,  up  to  the  time  he  should  be 
taken." 

The  writer  then  quotes  sec.  87,  paragraph  5,  Reorganite 
Doctrine  and  Covenants,  and  continues: 

(n)  "This  commandment  was  given  to  Joseph  Smith,  Sid- 
ney Rigdon  and  Frederick  G.  Williams.  The  latter  died  before 
Joseph  Smith  did;  and  whatever  may  have  been  the  rights  of 
Sidney  Rigdon  at  the  death  of  Joseph  Smith,  he  was  not  per- 
mitted to  stand  in  Joseph's  stead  nor  act  as  his  successor.  This 
confirms  the  thought  that  Joseph  was  to  continue  in  the  ex- 
ercise of  the  gift  conferred  upon  him,  during  his  life,  and  was 
not  to  be  compelled  to  appiont  another  in  his  stead"  (My  italics 
throughout.) 

We  concur. 


DUTIES  OF  THE  TWELVE.  65 

the  only  law  and  order  of  the  Priesthood  that  He  has  re- 
vealed for  the  guidance  of  the  Church  in  succession.  You 
may  search  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants  from  beginning  to 
end  and  will  find  no  other  law  of  succession. 

I  think  it  must  be  conceded  that  the  Apostles  could 
not  be  equal  in  authority  with  the  Presidency  when  the  First 
Presidency  is  fully  and  properly  organized.  There  could  not 
be  two  heads — or  three  heads — of  equal  authority  at  the 
same  time,  for  such  a  thing  would  lead  to  confusion.  Hence 
the  Apostles  are  equal,  as  has  been  stated  in  that  they  have 
power  to  assume  control  of  the  affairs  of  the  Church  when  the 
Presidency  is  dissolved  by  the  death  of  the  President.  This 
idea  was  clearly  in  the  mind  of  the  Prophet  when  on  the  16th 
day  of  January,  1836,  in  a  special  council  of  the  Presidency 
and  the  Twelve,  he  said — This  is  in  the  History  of  the 
Church,  vol.  2,  page  374;  also  the  'Reorganite'  history,  vol. 
2,  pages  11-12: 

"I  next  proceeded  to  explain  the  duty  of  the  Twelve,  and 
their  authority,  which  is  next  to  the  present  Presidency,  and 
that  the  arrangement  of  the  assembly  in  this  place  on  the  15th 
instant,  in  placing  the  High  Council  of  Kirtland  next  the  Presi- 
dency, was  because  the  business  to  be  transacted  was  business 
relating  to  that  body  in  particular,  which  was  to  fill  the  sev- 
eral quorums  in  Kirtland,  not  because  they  were  first  in  office, 
and  that  the  arrangements  were  the  most  judicious  that  could 
be  made  on  the  occasion;  also  the  Twelve  are  not  subject  to 
any  other  than  the  First  Presidency;  viz.,  myself,  Sidney  Rig- 
don,  and  Frederick  G.  Williams,  who  are  now  my  counselors; 
and  where  I  am  not,  there  is  no  First  Presidency  over  the 
Twelve." 

If  in  such  a  case,  there  is  no  First  Presidency  over  the 
Twelve,  then  the  Twelve  must  be  the  presiding  quorum  of 
the  Church  when  the  First  Presidency  is  disorganized. 
Again,  at  a  special  conference  of  the  Church  held  August 
16,  1841,  we  are  informed  in  the  minutes  that  the  Prophet 
addressed  the  Saints  as  follows— (T.  S.,  2.  521.)  : 

"President  Joseph  Smith  now  arriving  proceeded  to  state 
to  the  conference  at  considerable  length,  the  object  of  their 
present  meeting,  and  in  arddition  to  what  President  Young  had 
stated  in  the  morning,  said  that  the  time  had  come  when  the 
Twelve  should  be  called  upon  to  stand  in  their  place  next  to 


66  SUCCESSION  IN  THE  PRESIDENCY. 

the  First  Presidency,  and  attend  to  the  settling  of  emigrants  and 
the  business  of  the  Church  at  the  stakes  and  assist  to  bear  off 
the  kingdom  victorious  to  the  nations;  and  as  they  had  been 
faithful  and  had  borne  the  burden  in  the  heat  of  the  day  that 
it  was  right  that  they  should  have  an  opportunity  of  providing 
something  for  themselves  and  families,  and  at  the  same  time 
relieve  him  so  that  he  might  attend  to  the  business  of  trans- 
lating. 

"Motioned,  seconded  and  carried,  that  the  conference  ap- 
prove of  the  instructions  of  President  Smith,  in  relation  to  the 
Twelve,  and  that  they  proceed  accordingly,  to  attend  to  the 
duties  of  their  office." 

Therefore  it  was  by  right  of  divine  appointment  that  the 
Apostles'  quorum  became  the  presiding  quorum  of  the 
Church  at  the  death  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith. 

LINEAGE. 

We  will  now  consider  this  "law  of  lineage."  From  sec- 
tion 86,  they  quote  to  us  as  follows : 

"Therefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord  unto  you  with  whom  the 
Priesthood  hath  continued  through  the  lineage  of  your  fathers, 
for  ye  are  lawful  heirs,  according  to  the  flesh,  and  have  been 
hid  from  the  world  with  Christ  in  God;  therefore  your  life  and 
the  Priesthood  hath  remained  and  must  needs  remain  through 
you  and  your  lineage,  until  the  restoration  of  all  things  spoken 
by  the  mouths  of  all  the  holy  prophets  since  the  world  began." 

But  they  fail  to  quote  the  eleventh  and  succeeding  verse  : 

"Therefore,  blessed  are  ye  if  ye  continue  in  my  goodness, 
a  light  unto  the  gentiles,  and  through  the  Priesthood,  a  savior 
unto  my  people  Israel.  The  Lord  hath  said  it,  Amen." 

But  to  whom  was  this  revelation  given?  was  it  to  the 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith  alone?  Is  this  a  promise  that  his 
seed  shall  inherit  the  Priesthood  ?  Certainly  not-  This  reve- 
lation was  given  December  6,  1832,  to  the  Elders  of  the 
Church.  Therefore,  when  members  of  the  "Reorganization" 
declare  that  Joseph  Smith  was  one  of  these  Elders  and  must 
be  included  with  his  posterity  in  the  promise,  we  meet  their 
argument  with  the  counter  statement,  that  the  promise  was 
also  to  Hyrum  Smith,  to  Brigham  Young,  Heber  C  Kimball, 


LINEAGE.  67 

George  A.  Smith,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Orson  Pratt,  and  a 
large  number  of  other  Elders  who  never  have  been  identified 
with  the  "Reorganization,"  nor  have  their  children,  and  to 
them  this  promise  is  as  sure  as  to  the  seed  of  any  ethers. 
We  must  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  no  man  can  lay  claim 
to  salvation,  nor  to  the  Priesthood  of  God,  simply  because 
he  had  a  faithful  father.  The  inference  in  this  eleventh 
verse  is,  that  if  they  are  not  faithful,  then  they  will  not 
receive  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise.  The  posterity  of  Jos- 
eph Smith,  like  the  posterity  of  any  other  Elder  of  Israel, 
will  stand  or  fall  on  their  own  foundation  which  they  have 
builded.  And  if  the  sons  of  Joseph  Smith  refuse  to  keep  the 
commandments,  the  blessings  will  pass  them  by;  but  God's 
work  will  continue  until  the  consummation  of  all  things. 
Again  they  quote  from  section  112  as  follows: 

"For  verily  I  say  unto  you,  the  keys  of  the  dispensation 
which  ye  have  received,  have  come  down  from  the  fathers; 
and  last  of  all  being  sent  down  from  heaven  unto  you." 

This  revelation  was  given  to  Thomas  B.  Marsh  and  the 
Apostles  in  July,  1837;  and  while  it  is  true  that  the  Priest- 
hood which  these  men  held  did  come  down  from  the  fathers, 
it  was  not  from  father  to  son,  from  generation  to  generation, 
in  the  flesh.  For  the  Priesthood,  as  we  know,  was  con- 
ferred on  the  heads  of  Joseph  Smith  and  Oliver  Cowdery  by 
Peter,  James  and  John.  Joseph  Smith's  grandfather  did  not 
hold  the  Priesthood  nor  his  fathers  before  him  for  genera- 
tions upon  generations.  So  we  must  look  at  this  in  a  broad- 
er sense  than  our  friends  are  willing  that  we  should  do- 
What  is  meant  by  the  Priesthood  coming  down  from  the 
fathers,  and  that  it  must  needs  remain  through  the  lineage  of 
the  Elders  of  the  Church?  It  means  simply  this,  that  the 
Priesthood  has  come  down  from  those  who  held  it  in  ancient 
days  and  has  been  conferred  upon  men  in  this  day  accord- 
ing to  promise,  because  they  are  of  the  seed  of  Joseph  of  the 
tribe  of  Ephraim.  For  the  Lord  promised  to  bless  the  chil- 
dren of  Ephraim  in  the  latter  days  with  His  power.  And 
when  the  Church  was  established  it  was  with  the  promise 
that  it  was  never  again  to  be  destroyed;  therefore,  it  must 
needs  be  that  the  Priesthood  remain  through  the  lineage  of 


68  SUCCESSION  IN  THE  PRESIDENCY. 

the  Elders  of  the  Church.  But  it  will  be  through  those  who 
are  faithful,  and  not  the  unfaithful  sons,  and  there  is  not 
one  word  in  these  passages  that  declares  that  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  High  Priesthood  descends  from  father  to  son, 
and  that  it  is  the  right  of  the  son  of  Joseph  Smith  to  suc- 
ceed his  father.  Not  one  word! 

They  also  quote  section  110;  to  the  effect  that  the  gener- 
ations were  to  be  blessed  through  the  seed  of  Joseph  Smith. 
That  passage  is  from  a  vision  received  by  Joseph  Smith  and 
Oliver  Cowdery,  April  3,  1836,  when  they  received  the  keys 
of  various  dispensations,  and  is  as  follows: 

"After  this,  Elias  appeared,  and  committed  the  dispensa- 
tion of  the  Gospel  of  Abraham,  saying,  that  in  us,  and  our  seed, 
all  generations  after  us  should  be  blessed." 

Therefore  they  say  that  unless  the  sons  of  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith  were  in  the  true  Church  and  held  the  Priest- 
hood, this  promise  would  fail.  Not  so,  however.  As  I  have 
said,  if  those  sons  are  not  faithful  the  realization  of  the 
promise  will  pass  them  by  until  some  of  the  seed  of  Joseph 
Smith  will  stand  up  to  receive  the  blessing.  Furthermore, 
this  promise  was  not  made  solely  to  Joseph  Smith.  Oliver 
Cowdery  received  the  same  blessing;  but  he  left  the  Church 
and  went  into  forbidden  paths,  and  the  promised  blessing 
was  taken  from  him  and  given  to  another.  So  it  will  be 
with  the  sons  of  Joseph  the  Prophet ;  if  they  repent  not  they 
shall  not  receive  the  blessing.  The  Lord  has  declared : 

"Who  am  I,  saith  the  Lord,  that  have  promised  and  have  not 
fulfilled?  I  command  and  a  man  obeys  not,  I  revoke  and  they  re- 
ceive not  the  blessing." 

I  stated  that  this  blessing  that  was  given  to  Oliver  Cow- 
dery was  taken  from  him  and  given  to  another.  In  the 
Doctrine  and  Covenants,  section  124:94-95,  this  is  found: 

"And  from  this  time  forth  I  appoint  unto  him  (that  is  Hy- 
rum  Smith)  that  he  may  be  a  prophet,  and  a  seer,  and  a  reve- 
lator  unto  my  Church,  as  well  as  my  servant  Joseph. 

"That  he  may  act  in  concert  also  with  my  servant  Joseph, 
and  that  he  shall  receive  counsel  from  my  servant  Joseph,  who 
shall  show  unto  him  the  keys  whereby  he  may  ask  and  receive, 


OLIVER'S  BLESSING  GIVEN  TO  HYRUM.  69 

and  be  crowned  with  the  same  blessing,  and  glory,  and  honor, 
and  Priesthood,  and  gifts  of  the  Priesthood,  that  once  were  put 
upon  him  that  was  my  servant  Oliver  Cowdery." 

Here  the  blessings  of  Oliver  Cowdery  are  transferred 
to  the  head  of  Hyrum  Smith,  and,  therefore,  we  can  say 
with  equal  emphasis  that  in  the  seed  of  Hyrum  Smith,  as 
well  as  in  the  seed  of  Joseph  Smith,  all  generations  after 
him  shall  be  blessed.  For  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it!  Now, 
the  seed  of  Hyrum  Smith  are  not  connected  with  the  "Re- 
organization." However,  in  the  words  of  another  let  me 
say: 

"That  the  descendants  of  Joseph  Smith,  and  those  of  Hy- 
rum Smith,  stand  before  God  as  do  all  other  men,  assured  of 
honor  or  dishonor,  exaltation  or  degradation,  according  to  their 
individual  works." 

We  are  also  referred  to  verses  56-58  of  section  124, 
which,  perhaps,  is  a  passage  on  which  they  lay  the  greatest 
stress  of  all.  I  shall  read  beginning  with  the  fifty-sixth 
verse,  and  ask  you  to  follow  me  closely  and  I  will  read 
it  as  clearly  as  I  possibly  can: 

"And  now  I  say  unto  you,  as  pertaining  to  my  boarding 
house  which  I  have  commanded  you  to  build  for  the  boarding  of 
strangers,  let  it  be  built  unto  my  name,  and  let  my  name  be 
named  upon  it,  and  let  my  servant  Joseph,  and  his  house  have 
place  therein,  from  generation  to  generation; 

"For  this  anointing  have  I  put  upon  his  head,  that  his  bless- 
ing shall  also  be  put  upon  the  head  of  his  posterity  after  him. 

"And  as  I  said  unto  Abraham  concerning  the  kindreds  of 
the  earth,  even  so  I  say  unto  my  servant  Joseph,  in  thee  and  in 
thy  seed  shall  the  kindred  of  the  earth  be  blessed." 

You  see  it  says,  "this  anointing  have  I  put  upon  his 
head."  What  anointing  does  this  refer  to?  Notice  that  it 
says,  "as  pertaining  to  my  boarding  house  *  *  let  my 
servant  Joseph,  and  his  house  have  place  therein,  from  gen- 
eration to  generation."  That  is  the  anointing  the  term  "this" 
refers  to.  It  is  the  place  in  that  boarding  house,  and  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  Presidency  of  the  Church.  I  have 
already  shown  to  you  that  in  the  seed  of  Hyrum  Smith  as 
well  as  in  the  seed  of  Joseph  Smith  the  generations  after 


70  SUCCESSION  IN  THE  PRESIDENCY. 

them  were  to  be  blessed ;  there  is  nothing  in  this  promise  in- 
dicating that  the  posterity  of  either  of  them  shall  have  right 
to  the  Presidency  of  the  Church. 

But  they  say  this  blessing  does  not  refer  to  the  board- 
ing house  in  which  the  Prophet  Joseph  paid  stock  for  him- 
self and  generations  after  him;  but  that  it  refers  to  the 
blessing  of  his  progenitors;  that  is,  to  the  birthright  which 
was  given  to  Joseph — the  right  of  the  primogeniture.  And 
considering  this  passage  Heman  C.  Smith,  in  his  "True 
Succession,"  has  the  following  to  say: 

"Here  then  is  the  blessing  given  to  Joseph  to  occupy  in  this 
position,  and  to  discharge  these  duties  and  responsibilities.  But 
some  one  objects  that  this  is  not  called  a  'blessing;'  but  is  it  not 
a  blessing?  However,  to  silence  this  caviling,  we  refer  the 
reader  to  the  blessing  of  Joseph  Smith  as  pronounced  by  his 
father  on  the  occasion  of  the  ordination  of  the  High  Council. 
February  19,  1834,  Joseph  in  his  history  says: 

"  'My  father  Joseph  then  laid  his  hands  upon  my  head  and 
said,  "Joseph,  I  lay  my  hands  upon  thy  head  and  pronounce 
the  blessings  of  thy  progenitors  upon  thee,  that  thou  mayest 
hold  the  keys  of  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  until 
the  coming  of  the  Lord.  Amen.'"  (True  Succession,  p.  44). 

Then  he  goes  on  to  say  that  this  is  the  blessing  referred 
to  in  the  revelation  I  have  just  quoted  from,  and  that  it  was 
the  blessing  of  the  primogeniture.  The  birthright  of  the 
first  born.  But  Mr.  Heman  C.  Smith  is  too  hasty.  Invari- 
ably in  quoting  this  blessing  given  to  the  Prophet  by  his 
father  and  which  is  found  in  the  Times  and  Seasons,  volume 
6,  pages  994-5,  they  tactfully  refrain  from  quoting  what  im- 
mediately follows.  I  will  quote  it  from  the  Times  and  Sea- 
sons : 

"He  also  laid  his  hands  upon  the  head  of  his  son  Samuel  and 
said,  'Samuel,  I  lay  my  hands  upon  thy  head,  and  pronounce 
the  blessing  of  thy  progenitors  upon  thee,  that  thou  mayest  re- 
main a  Priest  of  the  Most  High  God,  and  like  Samuel  of  old, 
hear  His  voice,  saying,  Samuel,  Samuel.  Amen." 

"John  Johnson  also,  laid  his  hands  upon  the  head  of  his 
son  Luke  and  said,  'My  Father  in  heaven,  I  ask  thee  to  bless 
this  my  son,  according  to  the  blessings  of  his  forefathers,  that 
he  may  be  strengthened  in  his  ministry,  according  to  hi-c  holy 
calling.  Amen/ " 


HYRUM  RECEIVES  THE  BIRTHRIGHT.  71 

This  proves  to  us  that  the  blessing  of  the  progenitors 
was  not  necessarily  the  blessing  of  the  first  born ;  nor  was  it 
the  right  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Church;  for  Samuel  re- 
ceived a  blessing  similar  to  that  of  his  brother  Joseph,  and 
neither  of  them  received  the  birthright  in  these  blessings- 
I  shall  now  show  you  that  it  was  Hyrum  Smith  who  received 
the  blessing  of  the  first  born — the  birthright — and  it  was 
not  the  Presidency  of  the  Church  either,  for  they  are  not 
the  same.  However,  before  I  show  this  I  want  to  read  a 
paragraph  from  the  history  published  by  the  "Reorganized" 
Church.  This  is  volume  2,  and  is  "written  and  compiled"  by 
Joseph  Smith  and  his  assistant,  Heman  C  Smith,  their  his- 
torian. On  pages  462-3  they  give  the  dying  blessings  pro- 
nounced by  Patriarch  Joseph  Smith  on  the  heads  of  his  chil- 
dren. They  introduce  this  account  in  the  following  words : 

"In  connection  with  the  fact  that  Joseph's  and  William's 
children  are  identified  with  the  Reorganizatic/i,  while  Hyrum's 
and  Samuel's  are  in  Utah,  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  chil- 
dren of  the  two  former  were  to  be  blessed  after  them,  while 
the  children  of  the  two  latter  are  not  mentioned. 

"The  account  of  this  deathbed  scene  and  the  blessings,  as 
given  by  Lucy  Smith,  the  mother  of  the  Prophet  and  widow  of 
the  Patriarch,  is  as  follows:" 

Here  is  the  blessing  of  Hyrum  Smith : 

"My  son  Hyrum,  I  seal  upon  your  head  your  patriarchal 
blessing,  which  I  placed  upon  your  head  before,  for  that  shall 
be  verified.  In  addition  to  this,  I  now  give  you  my  dying  bless- 
ing, You  shall  have  a  season  of  peace,  so  that  you  shall  have 
sufficient  rest  to  accomplish  the  work  which  God  has  given  you 
to  do.  You  shall  be  as  firm  as  the  pillars  of  heaven  unto  the  end 
of  your  days.  I  NOW  SEAL  UPON  YOUR  HEAD  THE 
PATRIARCHAL  POWER,  and  you  shall  bless  the  people.  This 
is  my  dying  blessing  upon  your  head  in  the  name  of  Jesus. 
Amen." 

There  is  the  birthright ! 
And  now  Joseph's  blessing: 

"Joseph,  my  son,  you  are  called  to  a  high  and  holy  calling. 
You  are  even  called  to  do  the  work  of  the  Lord.  Hold  out  faith- 
ful and  you  shall  be  blessed  and  your  children  after  you.  You 
shall  even  live  to  finish  your  work.  At  this  Joseph  cried  out, 


72  SUCCESSION  IN  THE  PRESIDENCY. 

weeping,  'Oh!  my  father,  shall  I?'  'Yes/  said  his  father,  'you 
shall  live  to  lay  out  the  plan  of  all  the  work  which  God  has 
given  you  to  do.  This  is  my  dying  blessing  on  your  head,  in 
the  name  of  Jesus.  I  also  confirm  your  former  blessing  upon 
your  head;  for  it  shall  be  fulfilled.  Even  so.  Amen." 

On  first  thought  it  is  a  little  strange  that  the  children  of 
Joseph  the  Prophet  are  to  be  blessed  after  him,  while  that 
promise  is  not  in  the  blessing  of  Hyrum  Smith.  However, 
let  us  examine  the  blessing  given  to  Hyrum  Smith  a  little 
more  closely.  The  first  sentence  reads :  "My  son  Hyrum, 
I  seal  upon  your  head  your  patriarchal  blessing,  which  I 
placed  upon  your  head  before,  for  that  shall  be  verified.  And 
what  followed  was  in  addition  to  that  former  blessing  so 
there  was  no  need  of  repeating  what  that  former  blessing 
contained ;  but  it  was  to  be  verified.  I  have  before  me  that 
former  blessing.  This  is  a  patriarchal  blessing  given  by 
Patriarch  Joseph  Smith  on  the  head  of  his  son  Hyrum,  De- 
cember 9,  1834,  in  Kirtland,  Ohio,  and  is  recorded  in  Patri- 
arch Joseph  Smith's  book  of  blessings  on  pages  1  and  2,  and 
is  in  the  handwriting  of  Oliver  Cowdery.  Here  is  a  portion 
of  it: 

"Hyrum,  thou  art  my  oldest  son  whom  the  Lord  has  spared 
unto  me.  *  *  *  *  Behold  thou  art  Hyrum,  the  Lord  hath 
called  thee  by  that  name,  and  by  that  name  He  has  blessed  thee. 
Thou  hast  borne  the  burden  and  the  heat  of  the  day,  thou  hast 
toiled  hard  and  labored  much  for  the  good  of  thy  father's  fam- 
ily; thou  hast  been  a  stay  many  times  to  them,  and  by  thy  dili- 
gence they  have  often  been  sustained.  Thou  hast  loved  thy 
father's  family  with  a  pure  love,  and  hast  greatly  desired  their 
salvation.  Thou  hast  always  stood  by  thy  father,  and  reached 
forth  the  helping  hand  to  lift  him  up  when  he  was  in  affliction, 
and  though  he  has  been  out  of  the  way,  thou  hast  never  for- 
saken him  nor  laughed  him  to  scorn;  for  all  these  kindnesses 
the  Lord  my  God  will  bless  thee." 

I  promised  that  I  would  prove  to  you  that  when  the  Pa- 
triarch blessed  Joseph,  his  son,  with  the  blessing  of  his  pro- 
genitors, that  it  was  not  the  birthright,  but  that  that  bless- 
ing was  reserved  for  Hyrum.  Here  is  the  proof,  or  at  least 
a  portion  of  it.  The  blessing  continues : 

"I  now  ask  my  Heavenly  Father  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  to  BLESS  THEE  with  the  SAME  BLESSING  with 


HYRUM  RECEIVES  THE  BIRTHRIGHT.  73 

which  Jacob  blessed  his  son  Joseph,  for  thou  art  his  true  de- 
scendant, and  thy  posterity  shall  be  numbered  with  the  house 
of  Ephraim,  and  with  them  thou  shalt  stand  up  to  crown  the 
tribes  of  Israel;  when  they  come  shouting  to  Zion.  *  *  *  * 
"The  Lord  will  multiply  his  choice  blessings  upon  thee  and 
thy  seed  after  thee  and  thou  with  them  shall  have  an  inheri- 
tance in  Zion,  and  they  shall  possess  it  from  generation  to  gen- 
eration, and  thy  name  shall  never  be  blotted  out  from  among 
the  just,  for  the  righteous  shall  rise  up,  and  also  thy  children 
after  thee,  and  say  thy  memory  is  just,  that  thou  wert  a  just 
man  and  perfect  in  thy  day." 

We  see  that  Hyrum  was  blessed  with  the  blessing  of 
Joseph,  and  we  learn  from  the  fifth  chapter  of  I  Chronicles 
that  through  the  transgression  of  Reuben,  Joseph  received 
the  birthright,  and  he  got  it  from  his  father  Jacob.  In  the 
second  verse  we  read : 

"For  Judah  prevailed  above  his  brethren,  and  of  him  came 
the  chief  ruler;  but  the  birthright  was  Joseph's." 

Before  we  leave  this  chapter  in  Chronicles  let  me  state 
that  if  Joseph  received  the  birthright,  and  if  the  birthright 
and  the  Presidency  of  the  Church  were  inseparable,  then  it 
should  have  been  through  Joseph  that  the  Messiah  should 
have  come;  but  we  learn  that  Judah  prevailed  above  his 
brethren  in  this  particular. 

So  you  see  Hyrum  was  blessed  with  Joseph's  blessing, 
and  in  his  dying  blessing  his  father  declared  that  it  should 
be  verified  !  I  maintain  that  the  birthright  therefore  was  not 
the  blessing  of  his  progenitors  that  was  given  to  Joseph, 
neither  to  Samuel  Smith. 

Our  friends  have  solemnly  informed  us  there  was  "no 
blessing  to  the  children  of  Hyrum  Smith."  I  desire  to  call 
your  attention  to  a  few  expressions  in  the  blessing  which  I 
have  just  read-  The  promise  is  here  given  that  the  posterity 
of  Hyrum  Smith  shall  be  numbered  with  the  house  of  Eph- 
raim and  shall  stand  up  with  their  father  to  crown  the  tribes 
of  Israel  when  they  come  shouting  to  Zion.  Now,  how  can 
they  crown  the  tribes  of  Israel  unless  they  hold  the  Priest- 
hood and  are  faithful  men?  Again,  the  promise  is  made  to 
them  that  they  shall  have  an  inheritance  in  Zion  and  possess 
it  from  generation  to  generation,  and  their  names  never  were 


74  SUCCESSION  IN  THE  PRESIDENCY. 

to  be  blotted  out.  Now,  how  could  this  be  unless  they  were 
members  of  the  Church  holding  the  Priesthood?  For  the 
faithless  and  unbelieving  and  the  apostate  was  not  to  be 
numbered  in  Zion,  but  his  name  was  to  be  blotted  out.  I 
think  you  will  agree  with  me  that  these  gentlemen  in  their 
preface  to  these  blessings  spoke  rather  hastily  of  the  children 
of  Hyrum  Smith. 

I  have  here  another  blessing.  This  was  given  by  the 
Prophet  Joseph  to  his  brother  Hyrum  December  18,  1833 ,  at 
Kirtland,  and  is  also  recorded  in  the  handwriting  of  Oliver 
Cowdery  and  is  on  file  in  the  Historian's  office,  Salt  Lake 
City.  This  blessing  shows  to  us  that  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith  recognized  the  fact  that  his  brother  Hyrum  had  re- 
ceived the  birthright.  He  says  : 

"Blessed  of  the  Lord  is  my  brother  Hyrum,  for  the  integrity 
of  his  heart;  he  shall  be  girt  about  with  strength,  and  faithful- 
ness shall  be  the  strength  of  his  loins;  from  generation  to  gen- 
eration he  shall  be  a  shaft  in  the  hands  of  his  God  to  execute 
judgment  upon  His  enemies." 

I  will  pause  here.  We  are  told  that  faithfulness  shall  be 
the  strength  of  his  loins.  This  is  a  figure.  We  all  under- 
stand what  it  means.  It  means  that  the  children  of  Hyrum 
Smith  shall  be  faithful  and  from  generation  to  generation 
shall  be  a  shaft  in  the  hands  of  God  to  execute  His  judg- 
ments. That  is  what  it  means ! 

But  the  blessing  continues: 

"And  he  shall  be  hid  by  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  that  none 
of  his  secret  parts  shall  be  discovered  unto  his  enemies  unto 
his  hurt.  *  *  *  He  shall  stand  in  the  tracks  of  his  father, 
and  be  numbered  among  those  who  hold  the  right  of  Patriarchal 
Priesthood,  even  the  Evangelical  Priesthood  and  power  shall  be 
upon  him.  His  children  shall  be  many  and  his  posteritv  numer- 
ous, and  they  shpll  rise  up  and  call  him  blessed." 

Here  we  have  the  Prophet  acknowledging  that  his 
brother  Hyrum  should  receive  the  birthright,  for  it  was  the 
right  of  Patriarchal  Priesthood,  even  the  Evangelical  Priest- 
hood that  was  conferred  upon  the  first  born,  and  not  the 
office  of  President  of  the  Church. 

We  learn  from  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants  that  there 
are  two  offices  in  the  Church  that  descend  from  father  to  son 


THE  PATRIARCHAL  PRIESTHOOD.  75 

One  is  that  of  the  Bishopric,  for  upon  Aaron  and  his  sons 
the  Lord  conferred  this  Priesthood  (section  68: 16-18).  The 
other  is  that  of  the  Evangelist.  This  we  learn  in  section 
107,  but  our  friends  misconstrue  this  section  and  try  to  make 
it  appear  that  it  is  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood  that  is  meant.* 

I  will  read  it  and  you  may  judge  for  yourselves : 

"It  is  the  duty  of  the  Twelve,  in  all  large  branches  of  the 
Church  to  ordain  Evangelical  ministers,  as  they  shall  be  desig- 
nated unto  them  by  revelation. 


*Of  this  the  "defense"  says:  "Our  friend's  idea  is  that  'the 
order  of  this  priesthood;'  refers  to  the  office  of  evangelist  in 
particular  rather  than  to  the  Melchizedek  priesthood  in  general,, 
although  the  latter  is  under  consideration  not  only  on  the  page 
from  which  the  quotation  is  taken,  but  also  on  the  following 
page  and  on  the  two  preceding." 

It  does  refer  to  the  priesthood  of  the  evangelist,  and  only 
by  a  deliberate  twisting  of  the  Scriptures  can  it  be  made  to 
apply  to  the  .Melchizedek  Priesthood  in  general;  it  does  not 
read  that  way.  In  the  verses  preceding  the  offices  of  the  priest- 
hood have  been  denned  also  the  duties  of  the  officers.  The  para- 
graphs immediately  preceding  speak  of  the  High  Councils. 

Verse  38  declares  that  the  traveling  High  Council  shall  call 
upon  the  Seventy  when  they  need  assistance,  then  verse  39  says 
it  is  the  duty  of  the  Twelve  to  ordain  evangelical  ministers. 
From  and  including  verse  40  to  57,  is  parenthetical  and  is  ex- 
planatory of  the  office  of  the  Evangelist.  Verse  58  continues: 
"It  is  the  duty  of  the  Twelve,  also  to  ordain  and  set  in  order 
all  other  officers  in  the  Church,  only  by  misconstruing  the  reve- 
lation can  this  be  given  the  appearance  of  applying  to  the  Mel- 
chizedek Priesthood. 

The  critic  says:  "If  it  said  'this  office  of  the  Priesthood/ 
there  might  be  some  shadow  of  reason  in  his  contention,  but  it 
does  not."  Is  our  friend  not  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  office 
of  the  Evangelist  (Patriarch)  is  spoken  of  as  an  order  of  Priest- 
hood? The  Lord  said  pertaining  to  Hyrum  Smith:  "That  my 
servant  Hyrum  may  take  the  office  of  Priesthood  and  Patriarch 
which  was  appointed  unto  him  by  his  father,  by  blessing  and 
also  by  right."  (Sec.  124:91).  And  in  the  blessing  of  Hyrum 
by  his  brother  Joseph  at  iGrtland:  "He  shall  stand  in  the 
tracks  of  his  father,  and  be  numbered  among  those  who  hold 
the  right  of  Patriarchal  Priesthood,  even"  the  Evangelical  Priest- 
hood and  power  shall  be  upon  him."  It  is  spoken  of  as  an  order 
of  Priesthood,  although  a  part  of  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood, 
just  as  the  Levitical  is  spoken  of  as  an  order,  included  in  the 
Aaronic  Priesthood. 


76  SUCCESSION  IN  THE  PRESIDENCY. 

"The  order  of  this  Priesthood  was  confirmed  to  be  handed 
down  from  father  to  son,  and  rightly  belongs  to  the  literal  de- 
scendants of  the  chosen  seed,  to  whom  the  promises  were  made. 

"This  order  was  instituted  in  the  days  of  Adam,  and  came 
down  by  lineage  in  the  following  manner,"  etc. 

Now,  Hyrum  Smith  obtained  this  birthright  from  his 
father.  The  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  declared  in  his  blessing 
upon  the  head  of  his  brother  Hyrum  that  it  was  his  right  to 
walk  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father.  Let's  see  what  the  Lord 
says  about  this  :  In  section  124,  verse  91,  we  read : 

"And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  let  my  servant  William 
(Law)  be  appointed,  ordained,  and  anointed,  as  a  counselor  unto 
my  servant  Joseph  in  the  room  of  my  servant  Hyrum,  that  my 
servant  Hyrum  may  take  the  office  of  Priesthood  and  Patri- 
arch, which  was  appointed  unto  him  by  his  father,  by  blessing 
and  also  BY  RIGHT!" 

The  fact  that  the  Lord  has  made  two  exceptions  in  the 
order  of  the  Priesthood,  and  has  so  plainly  indicated  them 
proves  beyond  the  need  of  controversy  that  the  other  offices 
do  not  so  descend,  for  if  they  did,  the  Lord  would  not  make 
special  mention  of  these  two.  Another  thing,  if  the  first  born 
son  was  to  receive  the  office  of  Patriarch,  that  is  sufficient 
proof  that  the  Presidency  of  the  High  Priesthood  did  not  so 
descend,  for  if  it  did  one  man  must  of  necessity  hold  them 
both.  Again  we  learn  that  this  evangelical  order  came  down 
from  father  to  son  and  was  instituted  in  the  days  of  Adam. 
Let  us  see  if  the  office  of  president  has  come  down  in  that 
manner. 

Reorganites  sometimes  quote  to  us  the  following  from 
section  81,  but  for  the  life  of  me  I  do  not  understand  why, 
since  it  destroys  their  position : 

"Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you  my  servant  Frederick  G.  Wil- 
liams listen  to  the  voice  of  him  who  speaketh,  to  the  word  of 
the  Lord,  your  God;  and  hearken  to  the  calling  wherewith  you 
are  called,  even  to  be  a  High  Priest  in  my  Chuch,  and  a  coun- 
selor unto  my  servant  Joseph  Smith,  Jun. 

"Unto  whom  I  have  given  the  keys  of  the  kindom,  which 
belongeth  always  unto  the  Presidency  of  the  High  Priesthood." 

If  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  belongeth  always  to  the 
Presidency  of  the  High  Priesthood,  then  Peter  was  Presi- 


PRESIDENCY  NOT  BY  LINEAGE.  77 

dent  of  the  High  Priesthood  for  the  Lord  conferred  upon 
him  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  (Matt.  16:  19),  and  he  con- 
ferred them  upon  Joseph  Smith  (Doc.  &  Cov.,  27  and  128 
sections)  even  when  we  go  back  in  ancient  Israel  we  find 
Moses  of  the  tribe  of  Levi  ordaining  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun 
as  his  successor,*  and  not  his  own  son ;  Joseph,  son  of  Jacob, 
receiving  the  birthright,  but  his  brother  Levi  receiving  the 
Priesthood  in  Israel,  and  Judah  the  promise  of  the  Messiah- 
Even  in  Book  of  Mormon  times,  Nephi  was  the  younger 
brother  of  Sam,  a  faithful  man,  and  Nephi  ordained  his 
brother  Jacob,  not  his  son.  Alma  who  became  the  High 
Priest  of  the  Nephite  church  was  not  a  son  of  Mosiah  who 
by  right  of  birth  became  the  king  of  the  people.  And  thus 
we  might  go  on.  It  is  a  peculiar  law  indeed  when  the  Lord 
ignores  it  almost  if  not  quite  every  time,  and  we  may  con- 
clude that  it  is  a  man-made  doctrine  concocted  to  bolster 
up  the  claim  of  an  aspiring  set  of  men,  not  inspired  of  the 
Lord. 

CHOSEN  BY  HIS  FATHER. 

We  will  now  consider  the  claim  that  the  president  of  the 
"Reorganized"  Church  was  appointed  by  his  father.  They- 
base  their  claim  on  the  testimony  of  the  following  witnesses : 

(1)  the  statement  of  the  president  of  the  "Reorganization," 

(2)  the  statement  of  Lyman  Wight,  (3)  the  statement  of 
James  Whitehead,  (4)  the  statement  of  John  S.  Carter,  (5) 
and  the  statement  of  William  Smith. 


*The  "defense"  writer  says:  "There  is  not  a  scrap  of  evi- 
dence that  Moses  confirmed  upon  Joshua  a  particle  of  Priest- 
hood— merely  the  civil  leadership"  The  Scriptures  say:  "And 
Joshua  the  son  of  Nun  was  full  of  the  spirit  of  wisdom;  for 
Moses  had  laid  his  hands  upon  him;  and  the  children  of  Israel 
hearkened  unto  him,  and  did  as  the  Lord  commanded  Moses." 
(Dent.  34:9).  He  may,  of  course,  quibble  because  it  does  not 
say  he  gave  him  "the  priesthood"  when  he  laid  hands  upon 
him;  but  surely  he  did  not  lay  hands  on  Joshua  merely  to  give 
him  civil  leadership.  It  was  by  the  power  of  the  Priesthood 
that  he  led  Israel  and  commanded  the  sun  and  moon,  he  could 
have  done  it  by  no  other  power.  In  regard  to  the  others  men- 
tioned here  who  were  ordained,  the  "defender"  is  absolutely 
silent. 


?8  SUCCESSION  IN  THE  PRESIDENCY. 

The  president  of  their  church  declares  that  he  was 
blessed  in  Liberty  Jail,  twice  afterwards  before  the  fall  of 
1843,  and  again  publicly  in  the  Grove  at  Nauvoo.  (True 
Succession,  p.  40).  However,  he  is  very  careful  in  the 
wording  of  his  statement  and  deals  with  glittering  general- 
ities. All  he  dare  tell  us  is  that  the  "promise  and  blessing  of 
a  life  of  usefulness  to  the  cause  of  truth  was  pronounced 
upon  his  head."  Lyman  Wight  declares  that  the  Prophet 
blessed  his  son  in  Liberty  Jail  in  1839  as  his  successor.  In 
another  place  he  states  that  this  blessing  was  given  shortly 
after  they  came  out  of  Liberty  Jail.  (See  Succession,  pp. 
51-2).  So  you  see  that  Lyman  Wight  contradicts  himself. 
We  will  further  examine  his  statement.  Sidney  Rigdon, 
Caleb  Baldwin  and  Alexander  McRae  were  fellow  prisoners 
with  the  Prophet  Joseph,  Patriarch  Hyrum  and  Lyman 
Wight  in  Liberty.  If  any  such  blessing  or  ordination,  or 
whatever  you  desire  to  call  it,  had  taken  place  at  that  time 
these  brethren  would  have  known  something  of  it.  More- 
over, Hyrum  Smith  and  Sidney  Rigdon  were  counselors  to 
the  President,  and  in  such  an  appointment  they  would  in  all 
reason  have  been  called  on  to  assist  in  such  blessing;  an  ac- 
count of  it  would  have  been  made  on  the  records  of  the 
Church.  In  other  words  it  would  have  been  done  in  an  offi- 
cial way,  and  not  in  a  corner.  These  fellow  prisoners  with 
the  Prophet  and  Patriarch,  even  including  Lyman  Wight, 
knew  nothing  of  such  an  appointment,  calling  or  ordination 
while  in  Liberty  prison.  No  record  of  such  a  thing  was  made. 
Again,  that  such  a  blessing  did  not  take  place,  either  in  or 
shortly  after  they  came  out  of  that  prison,  is  quite  evident 
from  the  fact  that  Sidney  Rigdon,  August  8,  1844,  while 
making  his  claim  to  the  "guardianship"  of  the  Church,  de- 
clared that  there  could  be  no  successor  to  Joseph  Smith.  It 
is  also  quite  evident  that  this  expression  was  an  afterthought 
on  the  part  of  Lyman  Wight  from  the  fact  that  on  that  mem- 
orable 8th  of  August,  1844,  he  voted  to  sustain  the  Twelve 
Apostles  as  the  presiding  quorum  and  Presidency  of  the 
Church,  (History  of  the  Church,  for  August  8,  1844).  If 
such  a  thing  had  taken  place  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Lyman 
Wight  would  most  certainly  have  remembered  it  on  that 
day.  But  they  were  not  only  ignorant  of  such  a  thing,  but 


WHITEHEAD  IMPEACHED.  79 

each  took  a  course  diametrically  opposed  to  this  alleged 
blessing.  The  entire  lives  of  Caleb  Baldwin  and  Alexander 
McRae  also  protest  against  the  statement  of  Lyman  Wight-* 

The  testimony  of  James  Whitehead  is  as  follows : 

"I  recollect  a  meeting  that  was  held  in  the  winter  of  1843, 
at  Nauvoo,  111.,  prior  to  Joseph  Smith's  death,  at  which  the  ap- 
pointment was  made  by  him,  Joseph  Smith,  of  his  successor. 
His  son  Joseph  was  selected  as  his  successor.  Joseph  Smith 
did  the  talking.  There  were  present  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith, 
John  Taylor,  and  some  others  who  also  spoke  on  the  subject; 
there  were  25  I  suppose  at  the  meeting.  At  that  meeting  Joseph 
Smith,  the  present  presiding  officer  of  the  complainant  church, 
was  selected  by  his  father  as  his  successor.  He  was  ordained 
and  anointed  at  that  meeting.  Hyrum  Smith,  the  Patriarch,  anointed 
him,  and  Joseph,  his  father,  blessed  him  and  ordained  him  and  Newel 
K.  Whitney  poured  the  oil  on  his  head,  and  he  was  set  apart 
to  be  his  father's  successor  in  office,  holding  all  the  powers 
that  his  father  held.  I  cannot  tell  all  the  persons  that  were 
present,  there  was  a  good  many  there.  John  Taylor  and  Wil- 
lard  Richards,  they  were  two  of  the  Twelve,  Ebenezer  Robinson 
was  present,  and  George  J.  Adams,  Alpheus  Cutler,  and  Rey- 
nolds Cahoon.  I  cannot  tell  them  all;  I  was  there  too." 

Newel  K.  Whitney,  John  Taylor,  Willard  Richards  and 

*Of  this  argument  and  the  testimony  that  follows  the  "de- 
fense" writer  remains  silent,  the  editor  of  the  Herald,  however, 
takes  exception  to  the  statement  that  Lyman  Wight  was  at 
the  meeting  on  the  8th  of  August,  having  refused  to  attend. 
He  says:  "Heber  C.  Kimball  and  George  Miller  came  to  his 
house,  in  her  presence,  (L.  Wight's  oldest  daughter)  with  a 
summons  from  Brigham  Young  to  appear,  which  he  declined 
to  do,  declaring  that  the  Twelve  were  usurping  authority.  This 
resulted  in  a  personal  encounter  during  which  Miller  was  forc- 
ibly evicted  from  the  room  by  Wight  and  "Kimball  followed 
without  awaiting  the  enforcement  of  the  order." 

If  Lyman  Wight  refused  to  attend  that  meeting  then  he  is 
incompetent  to  say  that  the  Apostles  were  usurping  authority, 
for  he  knew  nothing  about  it.  Moreover,  if  this  statement  is 
true  it  merely  shows  the  bitter  apostate  spirit  manifested  by 
Lyman  Wight  at  that  time.  It  was  his  duty  to  meet  with  the 
Twelve  and  if  things  were  not  going  as  he  thought  they  should 
he  had  the  privilege  of  stating  his  feelings;  this  he  refused  to 
do,  if  the  statement  is  correct.  His  hasty  unchristian-like  action 
and  sulking  in  his  house  does  not  redound  to  the  credit  of  the 
man. 

6 


80  SUCCESSION  IN  THE  PRESIDENCY. 

Reynolds  Gaboon  all  remained  with  the  Church  and  came 
with  the  Twelve  to  Utah.  Their  entire  lives  protest  against 
this  falsehood  of  James  Whitehead.  They  deny  that  any 
such  ordination  ever  took  place.  Ebenezer  Robinson  also 
denies  it  and  after  the  martyrdom,  he  followed  Sidney  Rig- 
don,  and  later  joined  the  Whitmerites.  If  George  J.  Adams 
was  present  on  such  an  occasion,  he  soon  forgot  it,  for  after 
the  martyrdom,  he  followed  James  J.  Strang  and  acknowl- 
edged him  as  the  legal  successor  to  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith,  and  was  the  very  man  who  crowned  Strang  "king" 
on  Beaver  Island.  Alpheus  Cutler  also  denied  that  any 
such  thing  as  this  occurred-  I  shall  read  his  testimony. 
This  is  the  statement  of  Abraham  Kimball,  his  grandson: 
Father  Cutler  said: 

"I  know  that  Brigham  Young  is  Joseph  Smith's  legal  and 
lawful  successor,  and  always  did  know  it.  But  the  reason  I  am 
where  I  am,  I  could  not  be  led  but  must  lead.  I  have  run  my 
race  and  must  meet  my  fate,  and  I  know  what  my  doom  is,  as 
I  died  once  as  dead  as  any  one  dies.  And  I  went  to  the  land 
of  spirits,  and  saw  the  crown  I  should  wear  if  I  remained  faith- 
ful and  the  condemnation  I  should  meet  if  I  failed.  I  begged 
to  stay.  I  was  informed  I  could  not  remain  now,  but  must 
return  and  warn  sinners  to  repent.  And  the  first  word  I  spoke 
on  returning  was  to  Sidney  Rigdon,  who  was  bending  over  me, 
'Sidney,  repent  of  your  sins  or  you  will  be  damned.'  He  then 
continued.  'I  know  that  Mormonism  is  true.  I  know  that  Heber 
C.  Kimball  is  your  father,  and  Isaac's  and  he  is  a  good  man. 
Now  I  want  you  to  take  Isaac  and  return  to  your  father,  and 
remain  true  to  Mormonism  and  never  yield  the  point,  for  it 
will  save  and  exalt  you  in  the  kingdom  of  God  and  all  who  will 
live  it  to  the  end  of  their  days.'  He  then  wept  like  a  child, 
which  caused  my  eyes  to  moisten.  After  recovering  himself  he 
continued  by  saying:  'Now  my  boy,  I  want  to  ask  one  favor 
of  you,  and  that  is  that  you  will  never  reveal  what  I  have  told 
you  today  to  the  people  I  lead  while  I  live  as  you  boys  are 
going  away  and  I  depend  on  the  people  for  my  support.'  I 
promised  him  I  would  do  as  requested.  He  then  released  me 
to  go  visiting." 

"Now,  Mr.  Wilcox  (E.  S.  Wilcox)  and  friends,  I  am  in  a 
shape  that  I  may  be  called  to  meet  my  God  any  minute,  as  dis- 
ease is  praying  upon  my  poor  body  and  I  am  near  a  skeleton, 
and  my  flesh  may  soon  be  devoured  by  worms;  but  I  bear  testi- 
mony to  you  beiore  my  God  that  the  statement  I  have  made 
of  Alpheus  Cutler's  confession  is  correct  as  near  as  I  can  word 
it."— Saints'  Herald,  Vol.  52:255. 


NOT  ORDAINED  SUCCESSOR.  81 

You  see  that  each  of  these  men  named  by  James  White- 
head  give  the  lie  to  his  declaration  by  their  entire  lives,  but 
this  is  not  all.  Joseph  Smith  of  the  "Reorganized"  Church 
denies  it  himself.  While  he  states  that  he  was  blessed  by 
his  father,  in  his  testimony  under  oath  in  the  Temple  lot  suit, 
he  said: 

"No,  sir,  I  did  not  state  that  I  was  ordained  by  my  father; 
I  did  not  make  the  statement.  I  was  NOT  ordained  by  my 
father  as  his  successor — according  to  my  understanding  of  the 
word  ordained,  I  was  not"— Plaintiff's  Abstract,  Page  79,  Par.  126. 

Thus  the  testimony  of  James  Whitehead  is  worthless. 
John  S.  Carter  said  the  Prophet  chose  his  son  at  a  public 
meeting  in  Nauvoo  on  a  Sunday,  "not  long  before  Joseph 
was  killed."  (True  Succession,  page  48).  Yet  none  of  the 
people  knew  of  this.  Nothing  was  said  of  it  during  the 
trouble  with  Sidney  Rigdon.  And  William  Marks,  presi- 
dent of  the  Nauvoo  Stake,  would  most  likely  be  present  at 
the  public  meetings  held  on  Sundays  in  Nauvoo.  Yet  he 
supported  the  claim  of  Sidney  Rigdon  to  be  the  guardian 
when  the  latter  declared  that  there  could  be  no  successor.  It 
is  a  little  strange  that  such  an  appointment  could  be  made  at 
a  public  meeting  and  all  the  people — just  a  few  months  later 
— be  ignorant  of  it.  Where  were  the  people  the  day  this 
public  meeting  was  held?  How  much  easier  it  would  have 
been  for  Sidney  Rigdon  to  have  said,  August  8,  1844 :  "I 
want  to  be  appointed  "Guardian  until  young  Joseph  grows 
up,"  instead  of  declaring  that  no  successor  could  be  ap- 
pointed! How  easy  it  would  have  been  for  Lyman  Wight 
to  have  said,  "I  was  present  when  Joseph  blessed  his  son  in 
Liberty  prison,  as  his  successor,"  or  for  James  Whitehead 
and  John  S.  Carter  to  have  declared  that  young  Joseph  had 
been  ordained  as  his  father's  successor  in  a  public  meeting 
in  Nauvoo  shortly  before  the  martyrdom,  and  thus  have 
reminded  the  people  of  it.  How  strange  that  such  an  im- 
portant occurrence  should  slip  the  minds  of  the  entire  people 
on  such  a  vital  occasion  ?  But  they  did  not  think  of  it.  The 
truth  is  it  was  an  afterthought  on  the  part  of  these  men- 

Another  thing  which  is  peculiar :  There  were  too  many 
"appointments"  and  "ordinations"  of  this  "successor"  which 


82  SUCCESSION  IN  THE  PRESIDENCY. 

makes  the  thing  look  suspicious.  It  is  hardly  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  the  Prophet,  "appointed,"  "blessed,"  and  "or- 
dained" his  son  to  this  office  every  few  days.  If  such  a  thing 
had  taken  place  it  would  have  been  done  in  the  proper  way 
and  manner  in  the  presence  of  the  presiding  officers  of  the 
Church  and  a  proper  record  of  it  would  have  been  made  and 
filed  away.  But  the  records  of  the  Church  are  silent  and  it 
is  quite  significant  that  Lyman  Wight,  James  Whitehead, 
John  S.  Carter  and  even  Joseph  of  the  "Reorganization" 
himself  had  "forgotten"  this  "appointing"  or  "ordination" 
at  the  most  critical  moment  for  it  to  have  been  mentioned — 
August  8,  1844. 

William  Smith  stated  that  the  right  of  Presidency  was  by 
lineage,  and  therefore  he  supported  the  son  of  the  Prophet 
in  1850,  or  even  in  November,  1845.  (True  Succession,  p. 
17).  Yet  William  Smith  knew  of  no  appointment  or  ordi- 
nation of  young  Joseph,  although  he  was  one  of  the  Apos- 
tles, and  would  have  been  sure  to  have  known  had  such  a 
thing  taken  place.  In  May,  1845,  he  stated  that  the  Twelve 
were  the  proper  authorities  to  lead  the  Church.  (Times  and 
Seasons,  6:  904).  He  was  excommunicated  in  the  following 
October  and  it  was  not  till  after  his  excommunication  that  he 
advocated  the  right  of  young  Joseph.  Furthermore,  William 
Smith  claimed  that  he  was  himself  ordained  by  his  brother 
to  lead  the  Church  (Roberts'  Succession,  pp.  103-105.)  And 
he  also  followed  James  J-  Strang  and  accepted  him  as  the 
"successor"  until  excommunicated  from  that  cult. 

Now,  can  we  put  any  credence  in  the  testimonies  of  such 
men  as  Lyman  Wight,  James  Whitehead,  John  S.  Carter,  and 
William  Smith?  Most  assuredly  not. 

That  the  Prophet  did  not  choose  his  son  is  quite  evident 
also  from  the  following  testimony  given  by  reliable  witnesses 
and  at  the  proper  time : 

TESTIMONY  OF  PRESIDENT  YOUNG. 
At  a  meeting  held  at  Nauvoo,  August  7,  1844,  he  said: 

"How  often  has  Joseph  said  to  the  Twelve,  'I  have  laid  the 
foundation  and  you  must  build  thereon,  for  upon  your  shoulders 
the  kingdom  rests.  *  *  *  *  I  tell  you  in  the  name  of  the 


THE  TWELVE  RECEIVE  KEYS  OF  KINGDOM.      83 

Lord,  that  no  man  can  put  another  between  the  Twelve  and  the 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith.  Why?  Because  Joseph  was  their  file 
leader,  and  he  has  committed  into  their  hands  the  keys  of  the 
kingdom  in  this  last  dispensation  for  all  the  world;  don't  put 
a  thread  between  the  Priesthood  of  God." — (History  of  the 
Church  for  August  7,  1844). 

And  in  a  letter  written  to  Orson  Spencer,  January  23, 
1848,  President  Young  said: 

"Joseph  told  the  Twelve  the  year  before  he  died,  'There  is 
not  one  key  or  power  to  be  bestowed  on  this  Church  to  lead 
the  people  into  the  celestial  gate  but  I  have  give  you,  showed 
you,  and  talked  it  over  to  you,  the  kingdom  is  set  up,  and  you 
have  the  perfect  pattern,  and  you  can  go  and  build  up  the  king- 
dom and  go  in  at  the  celestial  gate,  taking  your  train  with  you." 
—Mill.  Star,  10:  115. 

TESTIMONY  OF  HEBER  C.  KIMBALL. 

"Brother  Joseph  has  passed  behind  the  veil,  and  he  pulled 
off  his  shoes,  and  some  one  else  puts  them  on.  until  he  passes 
the  veil  to  Brother  Joseph.  President  Young  is  our  president, 
and  our  head,  and  he  puts  the  shoes  on  first.  If  Brother  Hyrum 
had  remained  here,  he  would  have  put  them  on.  Hyrnm  has 
gone  with  Joseph  and  is  still  his  counselor  The  Twelve  have 
received  the  keys  of  the  kingdom,  and  as  long  as  there  is  one 
of  them  left,  he  will  hold  them  in  preference  to  any  one  else." 
— Times  and  Seasons,  5:664. 

TESTIMONY  OF  ORSON  HYDE. 

"The  shafts  of  the  enemy  are  always  aimed  at  the  head 
first.  Brother  Joseph  said  some  time  before  he  was  murdered, 
'If  I  am  taken  away,  upon  you,  the  Twelve,  will  rest  the  re- 
sponsibility of  leading  this  people,  and  do  not  be  bluffed  off 
by  any  man." — Times  and  Seasons,  5:650. 

"Before  I  went  east  on  the  4th  of  April  last,  we  were  in 
council  with  Brother  Joseph  almost  every  day  for  weeks,  said 
Brother  Joseph  in  one  of  those  councils,  'There  is  something 
going  to  happen;  I  don't  know  what  it  is,  but  the  Lord  bids  me 
to  hasten  and  give  you  your  endowment  before  the  Temple  is 
finished.'  He  conducted  us  through  every  ordinance  of  the  Holy 
Priesthood,  and  when  he  had  gone  through  with  all  the  ordi- 
nances, he  rejoiced  very  much,  and  said,  'Now,  if  they  kill  me, 
you  have  got  all  the  keys,  and  all  the  ordinances  and  you  can 
confer  them  upon  others,  and  the  hosts  of  Satan  will  not  be 
able  to  tear  down  the  kingdom,  as  fast  as  you  will  be  able  to 


84  SUCCESSION  IN  THE  PRESIDENCY. 

build  it  up;'  and  now,  said  he,  'on  your  shoulders  will  the  re- 
sponsibility of  leading  this  people  rest,  for  the  Lord  is  going 
to  let  me  rest  awhile.'" — Times  and  Seasons,  5:651. 

TESTIMONY  OF  WILFORD  WOODRUFF. 

"Has  the  Prophet  Joseph  found  Elder  Rigdon  in  his  coun- 
cils when  he  organized  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve,  a  few  months 
before  his  death,  to  prepare  them  for  the  endowment?  And 
when  they  received  their  endowment,  and  actually  received  the 
keys  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  oracles  of  God,  keys  of  reve- 
lation, and  the  pattern  of  heavenly  things,  and  thus,  addressing 
the  Twelve,  (Joseph)  exclaimed,  'Upon  your  shoulders,  the  king- 
dom rests,  and  you  must  round  your  shoulders,  and  bear  it;  for 
I  have  had  to  do  it  until  now.  But  now  the  responsibility  rests 
upon  vou."  ' — Times  and  Seasons,  5:698 

And  also  President  Woodruff's  testimony  given  in  1892. 
(Succession,  page  101). 

BATHSHEBA  W.  SMITH'S  TESTIMONY. 

"I  was  a  resident  of  Nauvoo,  State  of  Illinois,  from  1840 
to  1846.  I  was  married  to  George  A.  Smith,  July  25,  1841,  Elder 
Don  Carlos  Smith  performing  the  ceremony.  Near  the  close 
of  the  year  1843,  or  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1844,  1  received 
the  ordinance  of  anointing  in  a  room  in  Sister  Emma  Smith's 
house  in  Nauvoo,  and  the  same  day,  in  company  with  my  hus- 
band, I  received  my  endowment  in  the  upper  room  over  the 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith's  store.  The  endowments  were  given 
under  the  direction  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  who  after- 
wards gave  us  lectures  or  instructions  in  regard  to  the  endow- 
ment ceremonies.  They  are  the  same  today  as  they  were  then. 

In  the  year  1844,  a  short  time  before  the  death  of  the 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  it  was  my  privilege  to  attend  a  regular 
prajer  circle  meeting  in  the  upper  room  over  the  Prophet's 
store.  There  were  present  at  this  meeting  most  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles,  their  wives,  and  a  number  of  other  prominent  brethren 
and  their  wives.  On  that  occasion  the  Prophet  arose  and  spoke 
at  great  length,  and  during  his  remarks  I  heard  him  say  that 
he  had  conferred  on  the  heads  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  all  the 
keys  and  powers  pertaining  to  the  Priesthood,  and  that  upon 
the  heads  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  the  burden  of  the  kingdom 
rested,  and  they  would  have  to  carry  it."* 

*Blood  Atonement  and  Origin  of  Plural  Marriage,  p.  104. 


THE  TWELVE  RECEIVE  KEYS  OF  KINGDOM.        85 
BENJAMIN  F.  JOHNSON'S  TESTIMONY. 

At  the  eighty-seventh  birthday  anniversary  celebration 
of  Elder  Benjamin  F.  Johnson,  held  at  Mesa,  Arizona,  July 
29,  1905,  that  Patriarch  said: 

"I  speak  of  things  of  which  I  know  I  was  the  business 
partner  of  Joseph  Smith,  from  my  mission  until  the  time  of  his 
martyrdom,  was  as  familiar  with  him  as  with  my  brother  or  my 
father. 

"Do  I  know  that  Brigham  Young  was  the  true  successor  of 
Joseph  Smith?  I  knew  it  before  the  Prophet  was  martyred,  for 
Joseph  had  made  it  known.  I  was  present  when  the  Prophet 
gave  his  charge  to  the  Twelve  Apostles,  when  in  council,  after 
solemn  prayer,  he  rose  up  with  the  light  of  heaven  shining  in  his 
countenance,  related  his  experiences  with  reference  to  the  be- 
ginning of  this  work,  the  responsibilities  placed  upon  him,  the 
persecutions  and  hardships  through  which  he  had  passed.  He 
declared  that  God  had  revealed  all  the  truth  necessary  to  save 
mankind,  had  given  unto  him  the  keys  of  the  kingdom,  and  he 
had  carried  the  weight  and  load  thus  far,  and  then,  speaking 
directly  to  the  Twelve,  he  said:  'I  now  roll  off  the  burden  of 
this  responsibility  upon  you;  I  give  unto  you  all  the  keys  and 
powers  bestowed  upon  me,  and  I  say  unto  you,  that  unless 
you  round  up  your  shoulders  and  bear  off  this  kingdom  you  will 
be  damned." 

EZRA  T.  CLARK'S  TESTIMONY. 

"Before  I  left  Nauvoo,  I  heard  the  Prophet  Joseph  say  he 
would  give  the  Saints  a  key  whereby  they  would  never  be  led 
away  or  deceived,  and  that  was:  'The  Lord  would  never  suffer 
the  majority  of  this  people  to  be  led  away  or  deceived  by  im- 
posters.  nor  would  he  allow  the  records  of  this  Church  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.'  I  heard  Joseph  say  this,  and  I  al- 
so heard  him  say  that  he  would  roll  the  burden  of  the  Apostle- 
ship  upon  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve.  I  heard  Joseph  preach 
many  times;  heard  him  in  the  last  sermon  he  ever  delivered, 
bear  testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  work  that  God  had  called 
him  to;  also  that  the  Lord  had  never  suffered  him  to  be  slain 
by  his  enemies,  because  his  work  had  not  been  done,  until  a 
short  time  ago.  He  had  now  laid  the  foundation  of  this  work, 
and  rolled  the  burden  of  the  Priesthood  upon  the  Twelve;  and 
having  given  them  their  washings  and  anointings,  they  would 
now  bear  off  this  work  triumphantly,  and  it  would  roll  on  faster 
than  ever  before;  and,  if  the  Lord  was  willing  to  accept  him,  he 
was  willing  to  go."— M.  I.  A.  Era,  Vol.  5:202. 


86  SUCCESSION  IN  THE  PRESIDENCY. 

PROPERLY  ORDAINED. 

We  will  now  consider  trie  claim  that  Joseph  Smith  of  the 
"Reorganization"  was  properly  ordained.  We  must  first 
know  what  constitutes  a  proper  ordination. 

First.  It  must  be  done  by  those  holding  authority  in  the 
Priesthood  who  have  been  properly  appointed;  otherwise 
the  ordination  is  not  valid. 

Second.  The  ordination  must  be  approved  by  the  body 
of  the  Church  and  sanctioned  by  the  Church,  or  it  is  not 
valid.  For  there  is  in  the  Gospel  the  law  of  common  consent. 
Doc.  &  Cov-,  Sec.  20 :  63,  65 ;  26 :  2. 

Third,  If  a  man  exercises  his  Priesthood  contrary  to 
the  rules  of  the  Church,  or  in  unrighteousness,  Amen  to  his 
authority.— Doc.  &  Cov.  121 :  27. 

Fourth,  "Again,  I  say  unto  you,  it  shall  not  be  given 
to  any  one  to  go  forth  to  preach  my  Gospel,  or  to  build  up 
my  Church  except  he  be  ordained  by  some  one  who  has  auth- 
ority, and  it  is  known  to  the  Church  that  he  has  authority, 
and  has  been  regularly  ordained  by  the  heads  of  '[the 
Church."— (Sec.  42:  11). 

The  question  is,  will  the  ordination  of  Joseph  Smith  of 
the  "Reorganization"  stand  this  test?  He  was  "ordained" 
under  the  hands  of  William  Marks  (mouth)  Zenas  H.  Gur- 
ley,  William  W.  Blair  and  Samuel  Powers.  Messrs.  Blair 
and  Powers  never  did  belong  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints,  so  we  will  pass  them  by  without  consid- 
eration, and  will  take  up  the  cases  of  William  Marks  and 
Zenas  H.  Gurley  separately. 

William  Marks  was  president  of  the  Nauvoo  stake  at 
the  time  of  the  martyrdom,  but  it  is  of  a  more  recent  period 
that  we  are  considering  him.  Did  he  in  1860  hold  the  priest- 
hood? William  Marks  was  dropped  from  his  position  as 
president  of  the  Nauvoo  stake  at  a  conference  of  the  Church 
held  October  7,  1844.  (T.  &  S.,  5  :  692). 

The  whole  Church  voting  not  to  sustain  him,  excepting 
two  votes.  This  action  was  taken  because  he  supported  the 
claims  of  Sidney  Rigdon  and  opposed  the  Twelve  and  action 


WILLIAM  MARKS  APOSTASY.  87 

of  the  Church-    In  the  December  following  he  acknowledged 
his  error  in  the  following: 

NOTICE. 

"After  mature  and  candid  deliberation,  I  am  fully  and  sat- 
isfactorily convinced  that  Mr.  Sidney  Rigdon's  claims  to  the 
Presidency  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints, 
are  not  founded  in  truth.  I  have  been  deceived  by  his  specious 
pretenses  and  now  feel  to  warn  every  one  over  whom  I  may 
have  any  influence  to  beware  of  him,  and  his  pretended  visions 
and  revelations.  The  Twelve  are  the  proper  persons  to  lead 
the  Church." 

"WILLIAM  MARKS." 

After  making  this  acknowledgment  he  was  r*  ceived  back 
into  fellowship,  but  did  not  again  obtain  his  former  posi- 
tion. Later  he  became  dissatisfied  and  withdrew  from  the 
Church  and  was  excommunicated.  During  the  exodus  he 
joined  James  J.  Strang,  and  in  1846  was  called  to  be  a 
counselor  to  James  J.  Strang  in  his  organization.  (History 
of  "Reorganized"  Church,  3:  723).  For  a  time  he  was  also 
president  of  Strang's  "Stake  of  Zion,"  and  also  a  bishop  in 
his  organization  (History  of  "Reorganized"  Church,  3:44 
and  723).  First  a  "bishop,"  then  "president  of  the  'Stake  of 
Zion,'  and  then  "counselor"  in  Strang's  presidency.  In  1852 
he  became  a  member  of  Charles  B.  Thompson's  church  (Re- 
org.  Hist,  3  :  55  and  3  :  724).  In  1855  he  left  Thompson  and 
entered  into  an  organization  with  John  E.  Page  and  others 
(Reorg.  Hist.,3 :  724)  ;  and  on  June  11,  1859,  he  was  received 
into  the  "Reorganization"  on  his  original  baptism,"  "and 
they  recognized  his  original  ordination  to  the  Priesthood, 
although  he  had  been  disfellowshiped  by  the  church  that 
conferred  that  Priesthood.  After  he  was  disfellowshiped 
in  1844  and  later  left  the  Church  and  wandered  around 
through  the  organizations  of  James  J.  Strang,  Charles  B- 
Thompson  and  John  E.  Page,  receiving  "ordinations,"  and 
honors,  and  positions,  in  these  movements,  he  was  then  re- 
ceived into  the  "Reorganized"  Church  on  his  original  bap- 
tism. Now,  I  ask  the  question  in  all  candor  of  any  fair 
minded  Latter-day  Saint — Did  he  after  this,  in  1860,  have 


SUCCESSION   IN  THE  PRESIDENCY. 

any  authority  or  Priesthood  to  confer  upon  Joseph  Smith 
of  the  "Reorganization,"  much  less  the  keys  and  position  of 
president  of  the  High  Priesthood;  keys  that  he  never  did 
hold?* 


*Here  are  a  few  items  in  the  history  of  William  Marks  after 
he  left  the  Church  and  was  excommunicated. 

At  a  conference  held  at  Voree,  April  6,  1846,  "On  motion  of 
William  Marks  *  *  *  James  J.  Strang  unanimously  called 
to  the  chair  as  President  of  the  Conference."  "On  motion  of 
Elder  William  Marks,  it  was  unanimously  resolved  that  this 
church  receive,  acknowledge,  and  uphold  James  J.  Strang  as 
President  of  this  church,  Prophet,  Seer,  Revelator,  and  Trans- 
lator, with  our  faith  and  prayers." — Voree  Record. 

April  8,  1846:  "The  First  Presidency  presented  William 
Marks  for  the  office  of  Bishop  of  the  Church  and  on  motion 
of  Apostle  John  E.  Page,  resolved  unanimously  (that  he)  be 
sustained." — Voree  Record. 

Aug.  26,  1849:  "Brother  William  Marks  was  then  ordained, 
consecrated  and  set  apart  as  Apostle  of  the  Lord,  Jesus  Christ, 
a  Counselor  to  the  Prophet,  one  of  the  First  Presidency,  and 
a  Prophet  of  the  Most  High  God,  under  the  hands  of  Presidents 
Strang  and  Adams." 

"Brother  William  Marks  was  anointed,  ordained  and  set 
apart  to  administer  baptism  for  the  dead,  under  the  hands  of 
Presidents  Strang  and  Adams." — Voree  Record. 

Previously  William  Marks  had  forsaken  James  J.  Strang, 
and  January  ,  1849,  James  J.  Strang  had  a  "revelation"  in  which 
he  said:  "Behold  my  servant,  William  Marks,  has  gone  far 
astray  in  departing  from  me,  yet  I  will  give  unto  him  a  little 
space,  that  he  may  return  and  receive  my  word,  and  stand  in 
his  place;  for  I  remember  his  works  that  he  has  done  in  the 
time  that  is  past.  If  he  will  return  and  abide  faithful,  I  will 
make  him  great,  and  his  possessions  shall  be  great,  and  he 
shall  possess  a  city,  and  his  children  shall  dwell  therein;  a  nation 
shall  call  him  Blessed." 

Well,  he  returned,  and  at  the  conference  August  25,  1849, 
arose  and  said:  "He  ought  to  make  a  confession  to  the  Saints 
for  not  acting  in  his  calling  and  also  to  ask  their  forgiveness. 
Gave  a  brief  history  of  the  course  he  had  pursued  after  the 
martyrdom  of  the  Prophet  Joseph,  testified  that  he  had  ever 
had  the  fullest  confidence  in  the  work  of  the  last  days,  and 
knew  it  was  of  God,  and  was  now  determined  by  the  help  of 
God  to  go  forth  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty  and  act  in  the 
place  in  which  he  was  called  by  revelation  of  God  through 
His  servant  James"  [J.  Strang]. — Voree  Record. 

He  was  received  back  and  sustained. 

In  the  year  1852  he  joined  Charles  B.  Thompson's  organi- 
zation and  was  "ordained"  "Chief  evangelitical  teacher  of  the 


GURLEY'S  AUTHORITY.  89 

Zenas  H.  Gurley,  who  also  laid  hands  on  the  head  of 
Joseph  in  that  "ordination,"  was  ordained  to  the  office  of  a 
Seventy  in  Nauvoo  in  1844  under  the  direction  of  President 
Joseph  Young.  Members  of  the  "Reorganization"  claim 
that  he  was  ordained  a  Seventy  in  Far  West,  Mo-,  in  1838, 
but  this  is  not  the  fact.  The  records  in  the  Historian's  office 
show  that  this  man  was  ordained  in  1844,  as  I  have  stated, 
and  the  following  year — April  6,  1845 — he  was  made  the 
senior  president  of  the  Twenty-first  quorum  of  Seventy.  He 
left  the  Church  as  did  William  Marks,  and  therefore  lost  his 
Priesthood  and  had  none  to  confer  on  the  head  of  Joseph 
Smith. 

Now  the  revelation  clearly  indicates  that  no  man  is 
called  to  build  up  the  Church  unless  it  is  known  to  the 

School  of  Faith  in  Jehovah's  Presbytery  of  Zion."  Acting  in 
this  calling  he  wrote  an  epistle  to  "the  School  of  Faith  to  all 
the  traveling  teacher's  quorums  and  classes  of  said  school,  and 
Jehovah's  presbytery  of  Zion."  In  that  epistle  he  said: 

"Well  Brethren:  1  have  lived  to  see  the  foundation  and  the 
platform  laid,  the  principles  revealed  and  the  order  given, 
whereby  the  great  work  of  the  Father  can,  and  will  be  ac- 
complished. There  is  no  doubt  resting  on  my  mind  in  reference  to 
this  work  of  Baneemy  being  the  work  of  God,  for  I  am  fully  con- 
vinced that  it  is  the  work  it  purports  to  be,  the  work  of  the  Father 
spoken  of  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  to  prepare  the  way  for  the 
restoration  of  His  covenants  to  the  house  of  Israel.  Now,  all 
who  are  convinced  of  this  fact  ought  to  move  forward  and 
take  a  decided  stand  to  labor  for  Jehovah  and  the  benefit  of 
Mankind.  I  intend  from  this  time,  henceforth,  to  labor  in  the 
cause  and  give  my  influence  and  substance  to  speed  the  work." 
(Harbinger  and  Organ,  Vol.  3:52-3-4). 

This  is  his  testimony  when  with  Thompson.  He  later  or- 
ganized a  quorum  at  Batavia,  and  appointed  James  Blakeslee — 
a  man  who  was  excommunicated  from  the  Church  May  18,  1844, 
with  Francis  M.  Higbee,  Charles  Ivans  and  Austin  Cowles,  for 
apostasy — chief,  and  Jehial  Savage  teacher.  "After  this  he 
joined  John  E.  Page's  organization,  forgetting  how  faithful 
he  had  promised  to  be  in  Thompson's  organization,  and  later 
(1859)  connected  himself  with,  the  "New  Organization."  He 
was  not  one  of  the  true  fold,  for: 

"When  he  [the  true  Shepherd]  putteth  forth  his  own  sheep, 
he  goeth  before  them,  and  the  sheep  follow  him;  for  they  know 
his  voice.  And  a  stranger  will  they  not  follow,  but  will  flee 
from  him;  for  they  know  not  the  voice  of  strangers." — (John 
10:4-5). 


90  SUCCESSION  IN  THE  PRESIDENCY. 

Church  that  he  has  been  properly  ordained  to  that  calling, 
by  the  heads  of  the  Church.  But  these  men  were  not  so 
called.  On  the  8th  of  July,  1904,  I  wrote  to  Mr.  Heman  C. 
Smith,  historian  of  the  "Reorganization"  as  follows : 

"In  the  biographical  sketch  of  Zenas  H.  Gurley,  in  the  third 
volume  of  your  Church  History,  the  statement  is  made  that  he, 
(Zenas  H.  Gurley)  was  ordained  to  the  office  of  a  Seventy  at  Far 
West,  Missouri.  Would  you  kindly  furnish  me  with  the  date 
of  this  ordination,  and  also  state  the  authority  on  which  the 
statement  is  made,  and  oblige." 

On  the  15th  of  that  month  I  received  the  following: 

"Replying  to  yours  of  July  8,  will  say  that  the  church  record 
in  the  Recorder's  office  shows  that  Zenas  H.  Gurley  was  or- 
dained to  the  office  of  Seventy  at  Far  West,  Mo.,  in  1838;  day 
and  month  are  not  stated.  This  appears  once  in  the  hand- 
writing of  Isaac  Sheen,  former  church  recorder,  and  once  in  the 
handwriting  of  Henry  A.  Stebbins,  the  present  church  recorder. 
Elder  Stebbins'  memory  is  that  he  received  it  directly  from 
Elder  Gurley;  and  it  is  presumable  that  Elder  Sheen  also  had 
the  information  direct.  It  is  upon  the  authority  of  this  record 
that  the  statement  was  made  in  the  biographical  sketch." 

You  see  they  don't  know  very  much  about  it,  it  is  all 
presumption.  I  cannot  conceive  of  any  reason  why  Air.  Gur- 
ley would  desire  to  falsify  the  record,  and  doubt  that  he  ever 
made  such  a  statement  as  the  above.  The  fact  is,  however, 
that  he  was  not  ordained  a  Seventy  in  Far  West  in  1838, 
but  in  Nauvoo  in  1844. 

Now  we  will  see  how  much  faith  they  put  in  the  "author- 
ity" of  Mr.  Gurley  themselves.  January  30,  1905,  the  follow- 
ing communication  was  sent  to  the  president  of  the  "Reor- 
ganization :" 

"Will  you  be  so  kind  as  to  answer  for  me  the  following  ques- 
tions: Is  it  a  teaching  of  the  'Reorganized'  Church  that  the 
quorums  of  Seventies  are  limited  in  number  to  seven  quorums, 
or  do  you  place  a  limit  on  these  quorums  at  all? 

"Do  you  recognize  as  valid  any  of  the  ordinations  in  Nauvoo 
in  1844-5,  of  men  to  the  office  of  Seventy,  under  the  direction  of 
the  Twelve  Apostles  and  first  council  of  Seventy,  beyond  those 
of  the  first  seven  quorums? 

"In  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  in  Utah, 
the  custom  is  to  ordain  Seventies  and  organize  quorums  beyond 


GURLEY'S  AUTHORITY  REJECTED.  91 

the  seventh,  and  as  this  practice  has  been  opposed  by  some  of 
the  Elders  of  the  'Reorganized'  Church,  I  was  prompted  to  in- 
quire if  those  Elders  were  in  harmony  with  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church." 

On  the  31st  of  January  the  following  was  received: 

"There  are  no  provisions  as  revelations  as  law  to  the  Church 
for  the  organization  of  more  than  seven  quorums  of  Seventy; 
for  that  reason  we  do  not  recognize  as  valid  any  of  the  ordina- 
tions in  Nauvoo  in  1844-5  beyond  those  of  the  first  seven  quor- 
ums; and  our  teaching  is  that  the  number  is  necessarily  limited 
by  direct  provision  of  the  law." 

Thus  you  see,  the  president  of  the  "Reorganization" 
repudiates  the  Priesthood  of  the  very  man  who  "ordained" 
him  to  the  office  which  he  pretends  to  hold.  In  conclusion 
let  me  add  that  these  men  did  not  hold  the  keys  of  the  king- 
dom and  therefore  could  not  bestow  them  on  another-  The 
organization  to  which  they  belong  is  not  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  and  all  the  laying  on  of  hands 
that  they  can  practice  from  now  till  dooms  day,  will  not  give 
one  single  soul  the  Priesthood  of  God,  for  that  can  only  come 
through  the  proper  channel — the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints.  An  ordination  in  the  "Reorganized" 
Church  is  of  no  more  effect  than  is  an  ordination  in  the 
Methodist,  Presbyterian,  or  Catholic  church,  for  those  offici- 
ating do  not  hold  the  Priesthood,  and  are  not  recognized  of 
God.  The  Prophet  did  bestow  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  upon 
the  head  of  Brigham  Young  and  with  him  his  associates,  the 
Twelve,  as  we  have  shown  with  a  multitude  of  unimpeach- 
able testimony.  If  it  was  necessary  for  all  the  prophets  from 
Adam  to  Peter,  James  and  John  to  confer  their  keys  upon 
the  head  of  Joseph  Smith)  See  D.  &  C,  110  and  128  sec- 
tions), notwithstanding  he  has  been  ordained  to  the  Priest- 
hood by  angels,  then  in  all  reason  we  must  hold  that  it  is 
necessary  for  him  to  bestow  the  same  power  and  keys  of  the 
kingdom  on  others  which  the  evidence  shows  that  he  did. 
The  men  who  ordained  Joseph  Smith  of  the  "Reorganiza- 
tion" were  not  regularly  ordained  and  did  not  hold  the  keys 
of  the  kingdom.  The  Apostles  constituted  the  second  quor- 
um in  the  Church  and  were  sustained  in  their  calling  as  the 


92  SUCCESSION  IN  THE  PRESIDENCY. 

First  Presidency  of  the  Church  by  the  vote  of  the  people 
August  8,  1844,  and  again  at  the  fall  conference  in  October 
of  that  same  year. 

I  call  the  attention  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  once  more  to 
the  fact  previously  mentioned  (section  43:4-6)  that  there 
is  but  one  at  a  time  who  holds  the  keys  and  the  right  to  re- 
ceive revelation  for  the  Church,  and  that  man  is  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Church.  And  when  the  First  Presidency  is  dis- 
organized through  the  death  of  the  President,  then,  accord- 
ing to  revelation,  the  Twelve  Apostles  become  the  presiding 
quorum  of  the  Church,  and  then,  if  the  Lord  has  any  reve- 
lations to  give  to  His  people  they  will  come  through  the 
proper  channel — the  President,  of  the  Twelve.  If  we  will 
keep  this  in  mind  it  will  be  a  key  to  us  as  the  Lord  intended 
that  it  should  be,  by  which  we  may  gage  and  weigh  the  pre- 
tended revelations  of  men.  When  we  see  this  man,  or  that 
man,  or  perhaps  that  woman,  or  child,  giving  revelations 
as  was  the  case  in  the  "Reorganized"  Church  when  Jason 
W.  Briggs,  Zenas  H.  Gurley,  Henry  H.  Deam  and  the 
daughter  of  Zenas  H-  Gurley,  received  "revelations"  bearing 
on  the  organization  of  their  cult,  we  will  know  assuredly 
that  these  things  are  not  of  God.  The  Lord  will  never  ignore 
the  presiding  officer  and  quorum  of  the  Church,  for  he  re- 
spects authority,  as  He  requires  us  to  respect  authority.  And 
it  will  always  be  a  key  to  us,  if  we  will  bear  it  in  mind,  that 
whenever  He  has  a  revelation  or  commandment  to  give  to 
His  people  that  it  will  come  through  the  presiding  officer 
of  the  Church.  This  is  plainly  taught  in  the  revelations. 

If  there  is  within  the  sound  of  my  voice  one  soul  who 
has  not  received  a  testimony  of  this  work,  and  that  Brigham 
Young  was  the  right  man  in  the  right  place,  and  the  rightful 
successor,  and  so  on  down  to  the  present  day,  then  I  say  to 
you,  when  you  go  home  go  before  the  Lord  in  the  spirit  of 
repentence,  and  humility,  and  prayer,  and  ask  Him  in  faith 
for  that  knowledge  and  He  will  hear  your  prayers.  There 
is  no  reason  why  any  man  should  be  deceived,  for  the  Lord 
has  promised  us  that  we  shall  receive  if  we  ask  and  if  we 
knock  it  shall  be  opened  unto  us.  By  keeping  the  command- 
ments of  God,  all  men  may  know  of  this  work  that  it  is  true- 
If  you  will  do  this,  then  when  these  deceivers  and  pretenders, 


BUT  ONE  HOLDS  THE  KEYS.  93 

these  men  who  delight  in  destroying  your  faith,  come  to  you 
saying  that  you  are  in  the  dark,  you  can  say  to  them,  get  be- 
hind me,  for  I  will  not  be  deceived  by  you.  I  know  we  have 
the  truth,  that  this  is  the  work  of  the  Lord,  that  Jesus  is 
the  Redeemer  of  the  world,  and  that  Joseph  Smith  was  a 
Prophet  of  God  and  was  called  to  stand  at  the  head  of  this 
dispensation,  and  those  keys  and  that  position  he  will  ever 
hold.  He  was  not  a  fallen  Prophet,  but  died  a  martyr  to  this 
work.  May  God  bless  you.  Amen. 


The  Dodrines  of  Joseph  Smith. 


One  of  the  charges  made  by  the  "Reorganized"  Church 
against  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  is 
that  when  the  Apostles  assumed  their  place  as  the  presiding 
quorum  following  the  martyrdom  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum 
Smith,  they  departed  from  the  pure  Gospel  as  it  was  revealed 
in  the  Bible,  Book  of  Mormon,  and  the  revelations  and  teach- 
ings of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  and  in  the  stead  thereof 
introduced  false  doctrines  that  were  never  entertained  by  the 
Prophet  and  were  foreign  to  the  revelations  given  to  the 
Church.  This  proves,  they  declare,  the  "apostasy"  of  the 
Church  and  its  "rejection"  and  the  few  scattered  members 
who  refused  to  follow  the  leadership  of  the  Apostles  into 
forbidden  paths,  and  to  accept  these  "false  doctrines"  re- 
tained the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  and  were  directed  by  Him  to 
"re-organize"  the  "faithful"  members  into  what  was  then 
called  a  "New  Organization  of  the  Church,"  the  name  sub- 
sequently having  been  changed  to  the  "Re-organized" 
Church.  They  inform  us — though  it  is  most  likely  with 
some  misgivings  and  doubts — that  these  "faithful"  few  who 
refused  to  follow  after  "false  gods,"  or  "bow  the  knee  to 
Baal,"  still  retained  the  Priesthood  they  had  received  from 
the  "Original"  Church  and  were  "not  rejected  as  individu- 
als" although  the  "Church  was  rejected  with  its  dead." 
Therefore,  when  these  "faithful"  souls  tired  of  wandering 
around  in  the  apostate  organizations  of  James  J  Strang, 
Sidney  Rigdon,  William  Smith,  Charles  B.  Thompson,  and 
others,  as  sheep  that  knew  not  the  Master's  voice,  and  there- 
fore followed  strangers,  receiving  from  these  self-appointed 
leaders  "ordinations"  and  honors,  and  after  having  testified 
that  these  false  teachers  were  inspired  of  God  and  their  or- 
zanizations  the  work  of  the  Lord — after  all  this,  when  they 
came  together  and  formed  the  "New  Organization"  they 
were  still  the  "faithful"  who  had  not  followed  after  "false 


96  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

gods"  or  "bowed  the  knee  to  Baal,"  and  had  retained  power 
to  "re-organize"  the  Church  according  to  the  original  pat- 
tern, although  the  Prophet  had  not  commissioned  them." 

In  an  address  to  these  scattered  "faithful"  written  short- 
ly after  the  "New  Organization  of  the  Church"  was  formed, 
the  declaration  was  made  "that  we  believe  that  the  Church 
of  Christ  organized  on  the  6th  day  of  April,  A.  D.  1830, 
exists  as  on  that  day,  wherever  six  or  more  Saints  are  or- 
ganized to  the  pattern  in  the  Book  of  Doctrine  and  Cove- 
nants." And,  of  course,  they  are  the  Saints  "organized  ac- 
cording to  the  pattern" — if  their  word  can  be  taken  for  the 
fact. 

The  president  of  their  church  states  it  this  way :  "The 
individuals  who  kept  this  covenant  (the  new  and  everlasting 
covenant  of  the  Gospel)  were  accepted  of  Him  and  were  not 
rejected,  nor  their  standing  before  God  put  in  jeopardy  by 
the  departure  of  others  from  the  faith.  Whatever  office 
in  the  priesthood  each  held,  under  the  ordinations  ordered 
by  the  call  of  God  and  vote  of  the  Church,  would  remain 
valid.  They  could  as  elders,  priests,  teachers,  etc.,  pursue 
the  duties  of  warning,  expounding,  and  inviting  all  to  come 
to  Christ,  and  by  command  of  God,  could  build  up  the 
Church  from  any  single  branch,  which,  like  themselves,  had 
not  bowed  the  knee  to  Baal,  or  departed  from  the  faith  of 
the  Church  as  founded  in  the  standard  works  of  the  body  at 
the  death  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith." — (Saints'  Herald, 
Feb.  17,  1904). 

In  their  attempt  to  prove  that  the  Apostles  led  the 
Church  astray  and  introduced  false  doctrines,  they  have  one 
standard  by  which  the  Church  and  the  Apostles  are  meas- 
ured; but  in  proving  that  they  are  the  "faithful  who  have 
kept  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant"  and  have  remained 
in  harmony  with  "the  pattern"  their  standard  of  measure- 
ment is  quite  another  thing.  The  Church  is  to  be  judged 
by  all  the  unauthorized  sayings  and  doings  of  any  or  all  of 
its  members  or  ministers-  Their  church  is  to  be  judged  "by 
its  authorized  doctrines  and  deeds,  and  not  by  the  unauth- 
orized sayings  or  doings  of  some  or  many  of  its  members  or 
ministers."  (See  Blood  Atonement  and  Origin  of  Plural 
Marriage,  page  4^). 


CHURCH  JUDGED  FROM  ACCEPTED  STANDARDS.    97 

They  even  go  so  far  in  their  own  defense  as  to  reject 
the  teachings*  and  revelations  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith, 
wherein  they  are  in  conflict  with  their  expressed  views 
and  have  not  been  received  by  them  by  vote  of  their 
church  as  doctrine;  but  they  deny  to  us  the  privilege  of 
being  tried  by  our  "authorized  doctrines  and  deeds,"  and 
would  force  upon  us,  as  a  body,  teachings  of  any  member  of 
the  Church  wherein  they  think  they  could  make  a  point  to  their 
advantage ;  and  this  they  have  done  in  the  courts  of  the  land. 
We  grant  unto  them  the  right  to  be  tried  by  that  rule  laid 
down  by  the  president  of  their  organization,  and  claim  the 
right  to  be  tried  by  the  same  kind  of  standard.  The  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  is  not  responsible  for  the 
sayings  or  doings  of  any  individual  in  conflict  with  that 
which  has  been  received  as  a  standard  by  which  the  Church 
is  to  be  governed.  We  are  to  be  judged  by  our  authorized 
doctrines  and  deeds,  and  not  by  the  whims  or  notions  of  men. 
But  the  ministers  of  the  "Reorganization"  have  not  been 
willing  from  the  beginning  to  permit  us  to  stand  on  this 
platform,  but  insist  that  we  stand  on  the  platform  they  have 
prepared  for  us. 

The  Bible,  Book  of  Mormon,  Doctrine  and  Covenants 
and  the  Pearl  of  Great  Price,  including  the  Articles  of 
Faith,  have  been  received  by  the  vote  of  the  Church  in 
general  conference  assembled  as  the  standard  works  of  the 
Church.  On  this  platform  we  stand.  The  Church  is  not 
responsible  for  the  remarks  made  by  any  Elder  or  for  the 
numerous  books  that  have  been  written.  The  authors  of  the 
words  or  books  must  be  responsible  for  their  own  utterances. 
It  is  not  to  be  supposed  from  this  that  all  that  has  been  writ- 
ten outside  of  the  standard  works  of  the  Church  is  discarded 
and  rejected,  for  these  things  are  profitable  as  helps  in  the 
government  of  the  Church,  and  to  promote  faith  in  the 
members-  The  point  is  this,  if  in  these  books  mistakes  are 
found,  "they  are  the  mistakes  of  men,"  and  the  Church  as 
an  organization  is  not  to  be  held  accountable  for  them,  but 
for  that  which  is  received  from  time  to  time  by  vote  of  the 
Church,  as  it  comes  through  the  President  of  the  High 
Priesthood.  When  the  Lord  reveals  his  mind  and  will  it  is 
to  be  received,  "whether  by  mine  own  voice  or  by  the  voice 


98  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

of  my  servants,  it  is  the  same,"  but  we  are  not  to  be  judged 
by  "unauthorized  sayings  or  deeds." 

The  ministers  of  the  "Reorganization"  tell  us  that  the 
Church  has  departed  from  the  teachings  received  from  1830- 
1844  in  many  principles  of  vital  importance,  viz.,  the  God- 
head, marriage,  the  atonement,  the  location  of  Zion,  Temple 
building  and  the  ceremonies  therein,  and  other  things,  in 
which  they  have  strictly  adhered  to  the  original  faith.  We 
will  take  these  subjects  up  one  by  one  and  see  which  organi- 
zation it  is  that  is  following  the  teachings  of  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith  and  the  doctrines  of  "the  Original  Church." 
First  as  to  the  Godhead. 


THE  GODHEAD. 

The  first  article  of  faith  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints,  reads  as  follows : 

"We  believe  in  God,  the  Eternal  Father,  and  in  His 
Son,  Jesus  Christ,  and  in  the  Holy  Ghost." 

We  accept  these  three  personages  as  the  supreme  gov- 
erning council  in  the  heavens.  The  Father  and  the  Son 
have  tabernacles  of  flesh  and  bones,  and  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  a  personage  of  spirit.  (D.  &  C,  130:22).  We  worship 
the  Father  in  the  name  of  the  Son,  who  is  the  Mediator  be- 
tween God  and  man,  and  His  is  the  only  name  given  where- 
by man  can  be  saved  (D-  &  C.,  18:23).  We  accept  Jesus 
as  the  Only  Begotten  Son  of  the  Father  in  the  flesh,  al- 
though we  are  all  His  offspring  in  the  spirit,  (Acts  17:28) 
and  therefore  His  children.  This  is  the  teaching  of  "Mor- 
monism." 

We  are  accused  by  the  Reorganites,  however,  of  de- 
parting from  the  doctrines  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith 
in  that  we  believe  in  a  plurality  of  Gods.  That  we  believe 
in  a  plurality  of  Gods  is  true,  and  if  they  do  not — and  they, 
confess  almost  unanimously  that  they  do  not — then  they  are 
not  following  the  teachings  and  revelations  of  Joseph  Smith. 
If  the  Father  and  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Ghost  are  separate 
and  distinct  personages,  then  they  are  three  Gods,  then  they 
are  plural,  this  fact  Joseph  Smith  taught  to  the  world.  But 
our  Reorganite  friends  quote  from  a  purported  discourse  of 


JOSEPH  SMITH  ON  PLURALITY  OF  GODS.          99 

President  Brigham  Young  to  the  effect  that  Adam  is  our 
Father  and  our  God,  and  the  only  God  with  whom  we  have 
to  do.  But  this  discourse  even  if  reported  correctly — which 
we  have  reason  to  believe  is  not  the  case — is  not  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Church  and  has  not  been  received  by  the  Church. 
Joseph  Smith  the  Prophet  taught  a  plurality  of  Gods,  and 
moreover,  that  man,  by  obeying  the  commandments  of  God 
and  keeping  the  whole  law  will  eventually  reach  the  power 
and  exaltation  by  which  he  also  will  become  a  God.  And  if 
Reorganites  do  not  accept  this  truth,  then  they  have  departed 
from  the  teachings  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith.  The  doc- 
trine of  plurality  of  Gods,  did  not  originate  with  Brigham 
Young,  but  was  taught  him  by  Joseph  Smith. 

In  a  discourse  delivered  by  the  Prophet  in  Nauvoo  at 
the  April  conference  of  the  Church  in  1844,  he  said : 

"I  will  go  back  to  the  beginning  before  the  world  was,  to 
show  what  kind  of  a  being  God  is.  What  sort  of  a  being  was 
God  in  the  beginning?  Open  your  ears  and  hear,  all  ye  ends  of 
the  earth,  for  I  am  going  to  prove  it  to  you  by  the  Bible,  and 
to  tell  you  the  designs  of  God  in  relation  to  the  human  race, 
and  why  He  interferes  with  the  affairs  of  man. 

"God  himself  was  once  as  we  are  now,  and  is  an  exalted  man, 
and  sits  enthroned  in  yonder  heavens!  That  is  the  great 
secret.  If  the  veil  were  rent  today,  and  the  great  God  who  holds 
this  world  in  its  orbit,  and  who  upholds  all  worlds  and  all  things 
by  His  power,  was  to  make  Himself  visible, — I  s'ay,  if  you  were 
to  see  Him  today,  you  would  see  Him  like  a  man  in  form — 
like  yourselves  in  all  the  person,  image  and  very  form  as  a 
man;  for  Adam  was  created  in  the  very  fashion,  image  and  like- 
ness of  God,  and  received  instruction  from,  and  walked,  talked 
and  conversed  with  Him,  as  one  man  talks  and  communes  with 
another. 


"I  shall  comment  on  the  very  first  Hebrew  word  in  the 
Bible;  I  will  make  a  comment  on  the  very  first  sentence  of  the 
history  of  creation  in  the  Bible — Beroshcit.  I  want  to  analyze 
the  word.  Baith — in,  by,  through,  and  everything  else.  Rosh — 
the  head.  Sheit — grammatical  termination.  When  the  inspired 
man  wrote  it,  he  did  not  put  the  baith  there.  An  old  Jew  with- 
out any  authority  added  the  word;  he  thought  it  too  bad  to 
begin  to  talk  about  the  head!  It  read  first,  'The  head  one  of 
the  Gods  brought  forth  the  Gods.'  That  is  the  true  meaning  of 
the  word — Baurau  signifies  to  bring  forth.  If  you  do  not  believe 
it,  you  do  not  believe  the  learned  man  of  God.  Learned  men 


100  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

can  teach  you  no  more  than  what  I  have  told  you.  Thus  the 
head  God  brought  forth  the  Gods  in  the  grand  council. 

"I  will  transpose  and  simplify  it  in  the  English  language. 
Oh  ye  lawyers,  ye  doctors,  and  ye  priests,  who  have  perse- 
cuted me,  I  want  to  let  you  know  that  the  Holy  Ghost  knows 
something  as  well  as  you  do.  The  head  God  called  together 
the  Gods  and  sat  in  grand  council  to  bring  forth  the  world."— 
(See  Era,  January,  1909). 

In  another  discourse  delivered  June  16,  1844  the  Prophet 
said: 

"And  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  His 
Father:  to  Him  be  glory  and  dominion  forever  and  ever.  Amen." 
— (Rev.  1:6).  It  is  altogether  correct  in  the  translation.  New, 
you  know  that  of  late  some  malicious  and  corrupt  men  have 
sprung  up  and  apostatized  from  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints,  and  they  declare  that  the  Prophet  believes  in 
a  plurality  of  Gods;  and,  lo  and  behold!  we  have  discovered  a 
very  great  secret,  they  cry,  'The  Prophet  says  there  are  many 
Gods,  and  this  proves  that  he  has  fallen.' " 

"I  will  preach  on  the  plurality  of  Gods.  I  have  selected 
this  text  for  the  express  purpose.  I  wish  to  declare  I  have 
always,  and  in  all  congregations  when  I  have  preached  on  the 
subject  of  the  Deity,  it  has  been  the  plurality  of  Gods.  It  has 
been  preached  by  the  Elders  fifteen  years.  I  have  always  de- 
clared God  to  be  a  distinct  personage,  Jesus  Christ  a  separate 
and  distinct  personage  from  God  the  Father,  and  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  was  a  distinct  personage  and  a  spirit;  and  these  three 
constitute  three  distinct  personages  and  three  Gods.  If  this  is 
in  accordance  with  the  New  Testament,  lo  and  behold!  we  have 
three  Gods  anyhow,  and  they  are  plural;  and  who  can  contra- 
dict it?  The  text  says — 'And  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests 
unto  God  and  His  Father.'  The  apostles  have  discovered  that 
there  were  Gods  above,  for  Paul  says  God  was  the  Father  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  My  object  was  to  preach  the  Scriptures, 
and  preach  the  doctrine  they  contain,  there  being  a  God  above 
the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  I  am  bold  to  declare.  *  * 
John  .was  one  of  the  men,  and  the  Apostles  declare  they  were 
made  kings  and  priests  unto  God  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  It  reads  just  so  in  the  Revelations.  Hence,  the  doc- 
trine of  a  plurality  of  Gods  is  as  prominent  in  the  Bible  as  any 
other  doctrine.  It  is  all  over  the  face  of  the  Bible.  It  stands 
beyond  the  power  of  controversy.  A  wayfaring  man,  though  a 
fool,  need  not  err  therein/ 

"Paul  says  there  are  Gods  many,  and  Lords  many  *  *  * 
But  to  us  there  is  but  one  God — that  is,  pertaining  to  us;  and  he 
is  in  all  and  through  all.  But  if  Joseph  Smith  says  there  are 
Gods  many  and  Lords  many,  they  cry:  'Away  with  him!  Cru- 
cify him,  crucify  him!'  Mankind  verily  say  that  the  Scriptures  are 
with  them.  Search  the  Scriptures,  for  they  testify  of  things  that  these 


PAUL,  THE  APOSTLE,  ON  PLURALITY  OF  GODS.    101 

apostates  would  gravely  pronounce  blasphemy.  Paul,  if  Joseph 
Smith  is  a  blasphemer,  you  are.  I  say  there  are  Gods  many,  and 
Lords  many,  but  to  us  only  one;  and  we  are  to  be  in  subjection 
to  that  one,  and  no  man  can  limit  the  bounds  or  the  eternal  ex- 
istence of  eternal  time.  *  *  *Some  say  I  do  not  interpret  the 
Scriptures  the  same  as  they  do.  They  say  it  means  the  heathens' 
gods.  Paul  says  there  are  Gods  many,  and  Lords  many;  and  that 
makes  a  plurality  of  Gods,  in  spite  of  the  whims  of  all  men.  *  * 
You  know,  and  I  testify,  that  Paul  had  no  allusion  to  the  heathen 
gods.  I  have  it  from  God,  and  get  over  it  if  you  can.  I  have 
a  witness  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  a  testimony  that  Paul  had  no 
allusion  to  the  heathen  gods  in  the  text.  I  will  show  from  the 
Hebrew  Bible  that  I  am  correct,  and  the  first  word  shows  a 
plurality  of  Gods;  and  I  want  the  apostates  and  learned  men  to 
come  here  and  prove  to  the  contrary,  if  they  can.  An  unlearned 
boy  must  give  you  a  little  Hebrew.  Berosheit  Baurau  Eloheim 
ait  aushamayeen  vehau  auraits,  rendered  by  King  James'  trans- 
lators, 'In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth. 
I  want  to  analyze  the  word  Berosheit.  Rosh,  the  head;  sheit,  a 
grammatical  termination.  The  Baith  was  not  originally  put  there 
when  the  inspired  man  wrote  it,  but  it  has  been  since  added  by 
an  old  Jew.  Baurau  signifies  to  bring  forth;  Eloheim  is  from  the 
word  Eloi,  God  in  the  singular  number;  and  by  adding  the  word 
helm,  it  renders  it  Gods.  It  read  first — 'In  the  beginning  the 
head  of  the  Gods  brought  forth  the  Gods/  or,  as  others  have 
translated  it — 'The  head  of  the  Gods  called  the  Gods  together.' 
******* 

"The  head  God  organized  the  heavens  and  the  earth.  I  defy 
all  the  learning  in  the  world  to  refute  me.  'In  the  beginning 
the  head  of  the  Gods  organized  the  heavens  and  the  earth.'  *  * 
If  we  pursue  the  Hebrew  text  further,  it  reads — 'Berosheit  baurau 
Eloheim  ait  Aushamayeen  vehau  auraits,'  'The  head  one  of  the 
Gods  said,  'Let  us  make  man  in  our  own  image.'  I  once  asked 
a  learned  Jew  'If  the  Hebrew  language  compells  us  to  render 
all  words  ending  in  heim  in  the  plural,  why  not  render  the  first 
Eloheim  plural?  He  replied — 'That  is  the  rule,  with  few  excep- 
tions; but  in  this  case  it  would  ruin  the  Bible.'  He  acknowl- 
edged I  was  right.  I  came  here  to  investigate  these  things  pre- 
cisely as  I  believe  them.  Hear  and  judge  for  yourselves:  and  if 
you  go  away  satisfied,  well  and  good. 

"In  the  very  beginning  the  Bible  shows  there  is  a  plurality 
of  Gods  beyond  the  power  of  refutation.  *  *  *  The  word 
Eloheim  ought  to  be  in  the  plural  all  the  way  through — Gods. 
The  head  of  the  Gods  appointed  one  God  for  us;  and  when  you 
take  a  (this)  view  of  the  subject,  it  sets  one  free  to  see  all  the 
beauty,  holiness  and  perfection  of  all  the  Gods." — (See  Mill. 
Star,  Vol.  24:  108,  et  seq). 

This  is  the  doctrine  taught  by  Joseph  Smith  the  Froph- 


102  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

et  at  Nauvoo,  and  we  accept  his  teachings  as  authentic. 
"But  this-  was  not  published  until  after  the  Prophet's  death," 
says  our  Reorganite  objectors,  and  "Brigham  Young  tam- 
pered with  history  and  made  it  read  to  suit  himself,  there- 
fore we  do  not  accept  it."  Nevertheless  these  two  discourses 
were  delivered  before  the  congregation  of  the  Saints  and 
thousands  of  them  heard  the  Prophet  deliver  these  remarks, 
and  *'/  he  had  not  spoken  as  here  represented,  the  Apostles 
would  not  have  dared  publish  his  remarks  within  a  month 
or  two  after  they  were  delivered,  for  the  people  would  have 
discovered  the  deception-  But  thousands  of  them  have  testi- 
fied that  these  discourses  were  delivered  by  Joseph  Smith. 
None  can,  without  successful  contradiction,  say  he  did  not 
deliver  them.  Again,  the  objection  is  raised,  that  these 
discourses  were  never  accepted  by  the  Church  as  doctrine, 
and  therefore  are  not  binding  even  if  the  Prophet  did  deliv- 
er them.  Very  well;  the  fact  remains  that  the  Church  has 
accepted  the  Bible  as  far  as  it  is  translated  correctly.  There- 
fore, where  it  is  not  translated  correctly  we  should  receive 
the  correct  translation  when  it  is  given.  The  Prophet  says 
the  Hebrew  word  Eloheim  is  plural  and  means  Gods,  and 
should  have  been  so  translated  in  the  Bible  throughout. 
Is  that  true?  If  you  think  not,  why  not  accept  the  Prophet's 
challange  to  prove  to  the  contrary?  If  you  cannot,  then  hold 
your  peace  about  it  being  binding ! 

Well,  my  friends  of  the  "Reorganization"  we  will  give 
you  another  quotation  from  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  this 
time  it  was  published  before  his  martyrdom  and  that  too  by 
himself,  for  which  he  declared  he  stood  responsible  (See 
Times  and  Seasons,  Vol.  3:710).  This  quotation  is  taken 
from  the  Book  of  Abraham  in  the  Times  and  Seasons  for 
March  1,  1842,  which  the  Prophet  says  are  some  ancient 
records  "from  the  Catacombs  of  Egypt,  purporting  to  be 
the  writings  of  Abraham,  which  he  made  in  Egypt,  called 
the  Book  of  Abraham,  written  by  his  own  hand,  upon  papy- 
rus." These  records  were  translated  by  the  Prophet  at  Nau- 
voo, and  in  the  MS.  History  of  the  Church  prepared  under 
his  direction,  he  declares  that  they  are  absolutely  the  writ- 
ings of  Abraham,  a  fact  which  a  reading  of  them  will  show. 
If  you  accept  Joseph  Smith  as  a  Prophet,  Seer  and  Reve- 


BOOK  OF  ABRAHAM  AND  PLURALITY  OF  GODS.    103 

lator,  you  must,  if  you  believe  he  translated  the  record,  ac- 
cept these  writings,  at  least  as  the  genuine  translations  of 
Abraham's  record.    There  is  no  room  for  quibbling  here. 
This  is  from  the  Prophet's  translation: 

"Thus,  I  Abraham,  talked  with  the  Lord  face  to  face,  as 
one  man  talketh  with  another.  ***** 

"Now  the  Lord  had  shewn  unto  me,  Abraham,  the  intelli- 
gences that  were  organized  before  the  world  was;  and  among  all 
these  there  were  many  of  the  noble  and  great  ones,  and  God 
saw  these  souls  that  they  were  good,  and  he  stood  in  the  midst 
of  them,  and  He  said,  these,  I  will  make  my  rulers;  for  He  stood 
among  those  that  were  spirits,  and  He  saw  that  they  were  good; 
and  He  said  unto  me,  Abraham,  thou  art  one  of  them,  thou 
wast  chosen  before  thou  wast  born.  And  there  stood  one  among 
them  that  was  like  unto  God,  and  He  said  unto  those,  who 
were  with  Him,  We  will  go  down,  for  there  is  space  there,  and 
we  will  take  of  these  materials,  and  we  will  make  an  Earth 
whereon  these  may  dwell;  and  we  will  prove  them  herewith, 
to  see  if  they  will  do  all  things  whatsoever  the  Lord  their  God 
shall  command  them;  and  they  who  keep  their  first  estate  shall 
be  added  upon;  and  they  who  keep  not  their  first  estate,  shall 
not  have  glory  in  the  same  kingdom  with  those  who  keep  their 
first  estate;  and  they  who  keep  their  second  estate,  shall  have 
glory  added  upon  their  heads  forever  and  forever. 

Verse  23.  "And  the  Lord  said,  who  shall  I  send?  And  one 
answered  like  unto  the  Son  of  Man,  here  am  I,  send  me.  And 
another  answered  and  said,  here  am  I,  send  me.  And  the  Lord 
said,  I  will  send  the  first.  And  the  second  was  angry  and  kept 
not  his  first  estate,  and,  at  that  day,  many  followed  after  him.  And 
then  the  Lord  said,  let  us  go  down;  and  they  went  down  at 
the  beginning,  and  they  organized  and  formed  (that  is,  the  Gods) 
the  heavens  and  the  earth.  And  the  earth,  after  it  was  formed, 
was  empty  and  desolate;  because  they  had  not  formed  anything 
but  the  earth;  and  darkness  reigned  upon  the  face  of  the  deep, 
and  the  spirit  of  the  Gods  was  brooding  upon  the  face  of  the 
water. 

24.  And  they  said,  the  Gods,  let  there  be  light,  and  there 
was   light.     And  they,  the   Gods,   comprehended   the   light,   for 
it  was  bright;  and  they  divided  the  light,  or  caused  it  to  be  di- 
vided  from  the   darkness,   and   the   Gods    called   the   light   day, 
and  the  darkness  they  called  night.     ***** 

25.  And  the  Gods  also  said  let  there  be  an  expanse  in  the 
midst  of   the  waters,   and   it  shall   divide   the  waters   from  the 
waters.     And  the  Gods  ordered  the  expanse,  so  that  it  divided 
the  waters  which  were  under  the  expanse  from  the  waters  which 
were  above  the  expanse:  and  it  was  so,  even  as  they  ordered. 
And  the  Gods  called  the  expanse  heaven.     *     *     * 

26.  And  the  Gods  ordered,  saying,  let  the  waters  under  the 


104  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

heavens  be  gathered  unto  one  place,  and  let  the  earth  come  up 
dry,  and  it  was  so,  as  they  ordered;  and  the  Gods  pronounced 
the  earth  dry." 

Thus  it  continues  unto  the  end  of  the  32nd  verse  in  each 
verse  declaring  that  the  formation  of  the  earth  was  done 
under  the  direction  of  the  Gods.  This  agrees  admirably  with 
the  discourses  delivered  at  Nauvoo  in  1844,  previously 
quoted.  Is  it  true  doctrine?  It  certainly  was  taught  by 
Joseph  Smith,  so  in  accepting  it,  we  are  not  so  far  out  of 
harmony  with  his  teachings  on  this  subject  as  our  enemies 
have  stated.  Here  again  we  hear  another  objection  from  our 
Reorganite  brethren.  Say  they:  "This  Book  of  Abraham 
was  never  accepted  by  the  Church  in  the  Prophet's  day  as 
doctrine  and  it  has  not  been  so  accepted  by  us;  it  is  not 
a  part  of  'our  authorized  doctrines  and  deeds,'  therefore 
it  is  not  binding  on  us."  Perhaps  so,  you  may  not  have 
accepted  it.  That  does  not  destroy  the  truth  of  this  doctrine, 
which  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  and  the  Church  in  his  day 
did  accept — the  Doctrine  of  plurality  of  Gods.  Do  you  deny 
this?  If  so  then  you  deny  the  revelations  of  God  given 
through  the  Seer  and  you  are  out  of  harmony  with  the  reve- 
lations given  through  that  man.  The  Bible  and  the  Doctrine 
and  Covenants  both  have  been  received  as  the  law  of  the 
Church,  and  these  sacred  books  both  teach  the  doctrine  of 
plurality  of  Gods.  First  as  to  the  Bible :  I  quote  in  each 
instance  from  the  "Inspired  Translation." 

"For  the  Lord  your  God  is  God  of  gods,  and  Lord  of  lords, 
a  great  God,  a  mighty,  and  a  terrible,  which  regardeth  not  per- 
sons, nor  taketh  reward." — (Deut.  10:  17). 

Joshua  says:  "The  Lord  God  of  gods,  the  Lord  God  of 
gods,  he  knoweth,  and  Israel  he  shall  know." — (Josh.  22:  22). 

David  the  Psalmist  says:  "Oh  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord; 
for  He  is  good;  for  His  mercy  endureth  forever. 

"Oh  give  thanks  unto  the  God  of  gods;  for  His  mercy  en- 
dureth forever. 

"Oh  give  thanks  to  the  Lord  of  lords,  for  His  mercy  en- 
dureth forever." — (Psalm  136:  1-3). 

Again  he  says  in  the  138th  Psalm:  "I  will  praise  Thee  with 
my  whole  heart;  before  the  gods,  will  sing  praise  unto  Thee." 

But  you  say  these  were  the  heathen  gods  ?  but  that  will 
never  do,  surely  the  Lord  is  not  the  chief  God  of  the  heath- 


THE  BIBLE  AND  PLURALITY  OF  GODS.  105 

en  gods.    Perhaps  we  may  discover  more  light  on  the  sub- 
ject 

Again  the  Psalmist  sings:  "God  standeth  in  the  congregation 
of  the  mighty;  he  judgeth  among  the  gods.  *  *  *  I  have  said 
ye  are  gods;  and  all  of  you  are  children  of  the  Most  High." 

Say  what  you  will  of  the  other  passages,  but  of  this 
you  must  admit  that  the  heathen  gods  are  not  mentioned,  for 
this  truth  received  the  divine  approval  of  the  Redeemer 
Himself  as  He  taught  the  apostate  Jew :  Hear  Him : 

"I  and  my  Father  are  one." 

"Jesus  answered  them,  Many  good  works  have  I  shown  you 
from  my  Father;  for  which  of  those  works  do  ye  stone  me? 

"The  Jews  answered  him,  saying,  For  a  good  work  we  stone 
thee  not;  but  for  blasphemy;  and  because  that  thou,  being  a 
man,  maketh  thyself  God." 

"Jesus  answered  them,  Is  it  not  written  in  your  law,  I  said, 
Ye  are  gods? 

"If  he  called  them  gods,  unto  whom  the  word  of  God  came, 
and  the  Scriptures  cannot  be  broken; 

"Say  ye  of  him,  whom  the  Father  hath  sanctified,  and  sent 
into  the  world,  Thou  blasphemest;  because  I  said,  I  am  the  Son 
of  God?" 

And  the  Jews  were  shocked,  just  as  a  Reorganite  min- 
ister is,  with  this  doctrine  of  plurality  of  Gods,  and  they 
sought  the  life  of  the  Savior,  but  He  was  delivered  out  of 
their  midst 

The  Apostle  John  in  his  First  Epistle  and  third  chapter 
also  teaches  this  doctrine : 

"Behold,  what  manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  bestowed 
upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  the  sons  of  God;  therefore 
the  world  knoweth  us  not,  because  it  knew  him  not. 

"Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of  God,  and  it  doth  not  yet  ap- 
pear what  we  shall  be;  but  we  know  that,  when  he  shall  appear, 
we  shall  be  like  him;  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is." 

If  the  faithful,  who  keep  the  commandments  of  the 
Father  are  His  sons,  then  they  are  heirs  of  the  kingdom  and 
shall  receive  of  the  fullness  of  the  Father's  glory,  even  until 
they  become  like  the  Father.  And  how  can  they  be  perfect 
as  their  Father  in  heaven  is  perfect  if  they  are  not  like  Him  ? 


106  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

In  the  revelations  given  to  Joseph  which  were  accepted 
by  the  Church  before  1844,  the  doctrine  of  plurality  of  Gods 
is  also  taught.  From  the  "Vision"  one  of  the  grandest  reve- 
lations ever  given  to  man,  I  quote  the  following: 

"And  again,  we  bear  record  for  we  saw  and  heard,  and  this 
is  the  testimony  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  concerning  them  who 
come  forth  in  the  resurrection  of  the  just:  They  are  they  who 
received  the  testimony  of  Jesus,  and  believed  on  His  name,  and 
were  baptized  after  the  manner  of  His  burial,  being  buried  in 
the  water  in  His  name,  and  this  according  to  the  commandment 
which  He  has  given,  that  by  keeping  the  commandments,  they 
might  be  washed  and  cleansed  from  all  their  sins,  and  receive 
the  Holy  Spirit  by  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  him  who  is  or- 
dained and  sealed  unto  this  power:  and  who  overcome  by  faith, 
and  are  sealed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  which  the  Father 
sheds  forth  upon  all  those  who  are  just  and  true;  they  are  they 
who  are  the  Church  of  the  firstborn;  they  are  they  into  whose 
hands  the  Father  has  given  all  things;  they  are  they  who  are 
priests  and  kings,  who  have  received  of  His  fullness,  and  of  His 
glory,  anJ  are  priests  of  the  Most  High  after  the  order  of 
Melchizedek,  which  was  after  the  order  of  Enoch,  which  was 
after  the  order  of  the  Only  Begotten  Son;  wherefore,  as  it  is 
written,  they  are  gods,  even  the  sons  of  God;  wherefore  all 
things  are  theirs,  whether  life  or  death,  or  things  present,  or 
things  to  come,  all  are  theirs,  and  they  are  Christ's  and  Christ 
is  God's  and  they  shall  overcome  all  things. — (D.  &  C.,  Sec., 
76:50-60.  Reorganite  edition,  76:5). 

How  could  this  doctrine  be  stated  plainer?  This  is 
the  doctrine  taught  by  the  Savior  to  the  Jews,  by  David  in 
his  psalms  and  by  others  of  the  prophets.  Here  it  is  stated 
emphatically  that  they  who  are  of  the  Church  of  the  First- 
born (i.  e.,  those  who  keep  the  whole  law)  even  "as  it  is 
-written,  they  are  gods,  even  the  sons  of  God!"  Where  is  it 
written?  In  this  section;  and  in  the  words  of  the  Savior 
wherein  He  says,  refering  to  David's  Psalm,  the  Scriptures 
cannot  be  broken"  (John  10:34-36).  Doesn't  this  teach 
plainly  the  doctrine  of  plurality  of  Gods  ?  Does  it  not  teach 
the  fact  that  the  children  shall,  through  obedience,  some- 
time obtain  the  exaltation  of  the  Gods  themselves?  If  not 
what  does  it  mean  ?  Even  a  Reorganite  dare  not  argue  that 
these  are  the  heathen  gods ! 

Now,  if  they  overcome  all  things,  then  there  are  not 
some  things  that  they  do  not  overcome.  If  these  are  to  re- 


DOC  AND  COV.  AND  PLURALITY  OF  GODS.      107 

ceive  "of  His  fullness  and  of  His  glory,  and  if  into  their 
'hands  the  Father  has  given  all  things,  then  the  Father  has 
not  withheld  some  of  the  fullness  of  His  glory,  or  some 
things.  And  if  they  receive  His  fullness  and  His  glory, 
and  if  all  things  are  theirs,  whether  life  or  death,  or  things 
present,  or  things  to  come,  all  are  theirs,"  how  can  they  re- 
ceive these  blessings  and  not  become  Gods?  They  cannot. 
Yet  this  is  doctrine  received  by  the  Church  and  taught  by 
Joseph  Smith  the  Seer. 

Speaking  of  this  same  subject  in  the  revelation  on 
Priesthood  (Sec-  84:35-40)  Reorganite  edition,  83:6)  the 
Lord  says : 

"And  also  all  they  who  receive  this  priesthood  receiveth 
me,  saith  the  Lord,  for  he  that  receiveth  my  servants  receiveth 
me,  and  he  that  receiveth  me  receiveth  my  Father,  and  he  that 
receiveth  my  Father  receiveth  my  Father's  kingdom.  There- 
fore, all  that  my  Father  hath  shall  be  given  unto  him;  and  this  is 
according  to  the  oath  and  covenant  which  belongeth  to  the 
priesthood.*  Therefore,  all  those  who  receiveth  the  priesthood 
receiveth  this  oath  and  covenant  of  my  Father,  which  He  cannot 
break,  neither  can  it  be  moved;  but  whoso  breaketh  this  covenant, 
after  he  hath  received  it,  and  altogether  turneth  therefrom,  shall 
not  have  forgiveness  of  sins  in  this  world  nor  in  the  world  to 
come." 

Here  again  we  are  given  to  understand  that  those  who 
are  faithful  in  obtaining  the  priesthood  and  magnifying  their 
calling  that  they  become  of  the  Church  of  the  Firstborn,  re- 
ceiving ALL  THAT  THE  FATHER  HATH !  and  this  ac- 
cording to  an  oath  and  covenant  that  cannot  be  broken.  Now, 
again,  how  are  they  to  receive  all  that  the  Father  hath,  if 
something  is  withheld?  And  if  something  is  not  withheld, 
how  can  they  receive  all  that  He  hath  and  not  become  as  He 
is,  that  is,  Gods  themselves  ? 

Here  is  another  revelation  given  to  the  Prophet  Decem- 
ber 27,  1832.  This  is  section  88  and  verses  106-7  (Reorganite 
edition,  85:  33)  : 

"And  again,  another  angel  shall  sound  his  trump,  which  is 
the  seventh  angel,  saying,  It  is  finished!  It  is  finished!  the  Lamb 
of  God  hath  overcome  and  trodden  the  wine-press  alone;  even 


This   Priesthood  and  fullness  can  only  be  obtained  in  the 
Temple  of  God. 


108  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

the  wine-press  of  the  firceness  of  the  wrath  of  Almighty  God; 
And  then  shall  the  angels  be  crowned  with  the  glory  of  His 
might,  and  the  saints  shall  be  filled  with  His  glory,  and  receive 
their  inheritance  and  be  made  equal  with  Him"  (i.  e.,  with  Christ). 

How  can  the  Saints  receive  of  His  fullness  and 
be  equal  with  the  Lord  and  not  be  as  He  is,  that  is  Gods? 
This  is  not  the  doctrine  of  Brigham  Young  (for  then  in 
the  eyes  of  Reorganites  it  would  be  blasphemy),  but  these 
are  the  revelations  of  the  Lord  to  Joseph  Smith.  And  these 
revelations  have  been  received  by  the  "Reorganized"  Church 
as  binding  on  them,  yet  they  do  not  accept  the  truth  these 
revelations  contain.  Therefore,  they  prove  themselves  to  be 
those  who  have  departed  from  the  teachings  of  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith. 

ADAM. 

A  word  now,  in  relation  to  Adam.  If  all  those,  as  it  is 
written — and  the  Scriptures  cannot  be  broken — are  Gods 
unto  whom  the  word  of  God  came,  and  they  are  to  receive 
all  things,  even  the  fullness  of  the  Father's  glory  and  be 
made  equal  with  him,  will  not  Father  Adam  be  included 
among  them?  What  do  the  Scriptures  say  of  him? 

In  section  27  of  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants  he  is 
called,  Michael,  or  Adam,  the  father  of  all,  the  prince  of  all, 
the  ancient  of  days." 

In  section  107:54-55:  "And  the  Lord  appeared  unto  them, 
and  they  rose  up  and  blessed  Adam,  and  called  him  Michael, 
the  Prince,  the  Archangel, 

"And  the  Lord  administered  comfort  unto  Adam,  and  said 
unto  him,  I  have  set  thee  to  be  at  the  head — a  multitude  of  nations 
shall  come  of  thee,  and  thou  art  a  prince  over  them  forever." 
Section  78:  16:  "Who  hath  appointed  Michael  your  prince,  and 
established  his  feet,  and  set  him  upon  high,  and  given  unto  him  the 
keys  of  Salvation  under  the  counsel  and  direction  of  the  Holy  One, 
who  is  without  beginning  of  days  or  end  of  life." 

These  expressions  are  from  the  revelations  to  Joseph 
Smith,  Brigham  Young  did  not  receive  them,  although  he 
accepted  them. 

This  is  what  the  Prophet  said  in  a  discourse  in  1839 : 

"The  Priesthood  was  first  given  to  Adam,  he  obtained  the 
First  Presidency,  and  held  the  keys  of  it  from  generation  to 


"ADAM,  THE  FATHER  OF  ALL."  109 

generation.  He  obtained  it  in  the  Creation,  before  the  world 
was  formed,  as  in  Gen.  1 :  26,  27,  28.  He  had  dominion  given 
him  over  every  living  creature.  He  is  Michael,  the  Archangel 
spoken  of  in  the  Scriptures.  *  *  *  *  The  Priesthood  is  an 
everlasting  principle,  and  existed  with  God  from  eternity,  and 
will  to  eternity,  without  beginning  of  days  or  end  of  years.  The 
keys  have  to  be  brought  from  heaven  whenever  the  Gospel 
is  sent.  When  thev  are  revealed  from  heaven,  it  is  by  Adam's 
authority.  (My  italics.) 

"Daniel  in  his  seventh  chapter  speaks  of  the  Ancient  of 
Days;  he  means  the  oldest  man,  our  Father  Adam,  Michael,  he 
will  call  his  children  together  and  hold  a  council  with  them  to 
prepare  them  for  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man.  He  (Adam)  is 
the  father  of  the  human  family,and  presides  over  the  spirits  of  all 
men,  and  all  that  have  had  the  keys  must  stand  before  him  in 
this  grand  council.  This  may  take  place  before  some  of  us  leave 
this  stage  of  action.  The  Son  of  Man  stands  before  him,  and 
there  is  given  him  glory  and  dominion.  Adam  delivers  up  his 
stewardship  to  Christ,  that  which  was  delivered  to  him  as  hold- 
ing the  keys  of  the  universe,  but  retains  his  standing  as  head 
of  the  human  family. — (History  of  the  Church,  Vol.  3:385-7. 
See  also  Vol.  4:207-9.) 

Now,  if  all  the  Saints  who  become  members  of  the 
Church  of  the  Firstborn  are  to  become  Gods — and  the  Scrip- 
tures cannot  be  broken — through  the  fullness  of  the  Father's 
glory  which  they  are  to  receive  after  they  are  "made  equal 
with  Him,"  will  not  Adam,  who  is  appointed  "to  be  at  the 
head"  as  "a  prince  over  them  forever,"  be  one  of  them? 
And  as  one  of  them  he  shall  hold  the  scepter  of  power  and 
rule  over  them  under  the  direction  of  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel,  and  they  shall  be  in  subjection  to  him  forever. 

This  was  taught  by  Joseph  Smith,  and  in  departing 
from  it,  the  "Reorganized"  Church  has  denied  the  revela- 
tions and  teachings  of  the  Lord. 

THE  ONLY  BEGOTTEN  OF  THE  FATHER. 

In  connection  with  this  subject,  Reorganites  also  claim 
that  Brigham  Young  went  astray  and  apostatized  because 
he  declared  that  Jesus  Christ  was  not  begotten  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Reorganites  claim  that  He  was  begotten  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  they  make  the  statement  that  the  Scriptures 
so  teach.  But  they  do  err  not  understanding  the  Scriptures. 
They  tell  us  the  Book  of  Mormon  states  that  Jesus  was  be- 


110  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

gotten  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  I  challange  the  statement;  the 
Book  of  Mormon  teaches  no  such  thing!  Neither  does  the 
Bible.  It  is  true  there  is  one  passage  that  states  so  but  we 
must  consider  it  in  the  light  of  other  passages  with  which 
it  is  in  conflict.  The  Book  of  Mormon  says : 

"And  behold,  He  shall  be  born  of  Mary  at  Jerusalem  *  * 
she  being  a  virgin,  a  precious  and  chosen  vessel,  who  shall  be 
overshadowed,  and  conceive  by  the  poiuer  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

With  this  Luke  agrees : 

"Then  said  Mary  unto  the  angel;  How  can  this  be? 

"And  the  angel  answered  and  said  unto  her,  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  the  power  of  the  Highest.  Therefore  also,  that  holy 
child  that  shall  be  born  of  thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God. — 
Luke  1:34-35). 

In  Matthew  it  reads  "of  the  Holy  Ghost"  which  evi- 
dently means  "power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  to  agree  with  the 
Book  of  Mormon  and  with  Luke. 

If  Reorganites  are  correct  then  Jesus  is  not  the  Only 
Begotten  Son  of  the  Father,  but  the  Son  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
This  will  not  do  for  it  conflicts  with  the  Scriptures.  The 
Prophet  taught  that  the  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost  were 
three  separate  personages,  and  that  Jesus  was  the  Only  Be- 
gotten of  the  Father.  In  the  Book  of  Genesis,  (Inspired 
Scriptures)  Jesus  is  spoken  of  throughout  as  the  Only  Be- 
gotten of  the  Father  not  less  than  twelve  times  and  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon  at  least  five  times  and  a  great  number 
of  times  in  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants  (see  section  76:23, 
25,  35,  57)  and  in  these  Scriptures  He  is  spoken  of  as  the 
Son  of  God  innumerable  times-  Now,  if  He  is  the  Only  Be- 
gotten of  the  Father  in  the  flesh,  He  must  be  the  Son  of  the 
Father  and  not  the  Son  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Yet,  to  be  con- 
sistent, Reorganites  must  claim  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  not  the  Son  of  God  the  Father.  Their  al- 
ternative— if  it  can  be  called  such — must  be,  then,  the  stand 
of  Mr.  William  H.  Kelley,  the  "president"  of  their  "apos- 
tles," who  in  a  written  statement  in  answer  to  the  question 
put  to  him  by  the  writer,  September  10,  1903:  "You  say 
that  Jesus  Chiist  the  Son  of  God  was  begotten  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Is  He  the  Son  of  the  Holy  Ghost?" 


CELESTIAL  MARRIAGE.  Ill 

Mr.  Kelley  signed  his  answer  as  follows:  "I  do  not 
knew.  Wm.  H.  Kelley." 

Just  think  of  this  for  a  moment.  Here  is  a  man  pro- 
fessing to  be  the  Chief  of  the  Special  Witnesses  for  Christ, 
declaring  that  he  does  not  know  whether  Jesus  is  the  Son  of 
God  the  Father  or  the  Son  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  the 
Savior  declared  it  so  plainly  that  He  was  the  Son  of  the 
Father,  His  Only  Begotten,  and  was  so  acknowledged  by 
the  Father  throughout  the  Scriptures.  "And  this  is  life 
eternal,  that  they  might  know  Thee  the  only  true  God,  and 
Jesus  Christ,  whom  Thou  hast  sent."  John  17 : 3-  Again 
we  prove  that  they  have  departed  from  the  Scriptures  and 
the  teachings  and  revelations  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith. 
Why  do  they  make  this  error?  Because  they  do  not  un- 
derstand the  Scriptures  and  fail  to  recognize  the  fact  that 
all  things  that  the  Father  doeth  are  done  by  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

MARRIAGE. 

The  question  of  Celestial  (including  plural)  marriage 
is  treated  quite  extensively  in  Blood  Atonement  and  the 
Origin  of  Plural  Marriage  so  it  will  be  passed  with  a  brief 
notice  here. 

We  maintain  with  abundant  authority  that  Joseph 
Smith  the  Prophet  introduced  Celestial  Marriage,  that  is, 
marriage  for  eternity,  into  the  Church.  This  fact  has  been 
admitted  by  many  members  of  the  "Reorganized"  Church, 
notwithstanding  they  attack  us  on  this  doctrine  and  say  it 
is  not  a  doctrine  of  the  Church.  And  while  they  attack  us 
the  better  part  of  them  hope  it  is  true.  What  is  there  so  ter- 
rible in  the  doctrine  of  the  preservation  of  the  family  union 
in  eternity?  What  right-living  God-fearing  man  is  there 
but  would  be  glad  to  meet  his  parents,  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren, in  the  kingdom  of  God  and  know  they  were  united 
never  again  to  separate?  While  this  belief  is  not  taught 
in  the  creeds  of  men — including  the  Reorganites — yet  there 
is  a  hope  burning  in  the  bosoms  of  many  people  that  this 
doctrine  may  prove  true ! 

Well,  it  is  a  Scriptural  doctrine,  and  it  is  true,  for  the 


112  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

Lord  revealed  it  to  Joseph  Smith.  In  the  beginning,  the 
very  first  marriage  was  one  intended  to  last  forever.  Do 
you  not  believe  it  ?  I  quote  from  the  Inspired  Scriptures : 

"And  I,  God,  created  man  in  mine  own  image,  in  the  image 
of  mine  Only  Begotten  created  I  him,  male  and  female  created 
I  them.  And  I,  God,  blessed  them,  and  said  unto  them,  Be  fruit- 
ful, and  multiply,  and  replenish  the  earth,  and  subdue  it;  and 
have  dominion  over  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  over  the  fowl  of  the 
air,  and  over  every  living  thing  that  moveth  upon  the  earth." — 
(Genesis  1:29-30). 

This  was  a  spiritual  creation,  man  was  created  in  the 
image  of  God,  male  and  female,  first  in  the  Spirit,  and  told 
in  that  spiritual  creation  that  they  were  expected  to  multiply 
and  replenish  the  earth  when  they  were  placed  upon  it  to 
subdue  it.  This  we  prove  from  the  second  chapter  of  Gen- 
esis beginning  with  the  fifth  verse : 

"For  I,  the  Lord  God,  created  all  things  of  which  I  have 
spoken  spiritually,  before  they  were  naturally  upon  the  face  of  the 
earth;  for  I,  the  Lord  God,  had  not  caused  it  to  rain  upon  the 
face  of  the  earth. 

"And  I,  the  Lord  God,  had  created  all  the  children  of  men, 
and  not  yet  a  man  to  till  the  ground,  for  in  heaven  created  I 
them,  and  there  was  not  yet  flesh  upon  the  earth,  neither  in 
the  water,  neither  in  the  air." 

Verse  23.  "And  I,  the  Lord  God,  said  unto  mine  Only 
Begotten,  that  it  was  not  good  that  the  man  should  be  alone; 

"Wherefore,  I  will  make  an  help  meet  for  him." 

Here  the  Lord  declares  that  it  is  not  good  for  man  to 
be  alone,  and  therefore  he  gave  him  an  helpmeet,  Eve;  and 
this  union  was  formed  before  mortality  or  death  came  into 
the  world,  and  there  is  no  indication  that  it  was  meant  to 
have  an  end.  If,  therefore,  it  was  not  good  for  man  to  be 
alone  before  the  days  of  mortality,  will  it  not  also  be  good 
for  man  to  have  a  helpmeet  after  mortality  has  passed  away  ? 
Paul  thought  so,  said  he :  "Nevertheless  neither  is  the  man 
without  the  woman,  neither  the  woman  without  the  man, 
in  the  Lord."— (I  Cor.  11:11). 

Alexender  H.  Smith,  "Patriarch"  of  the  "Reorganized" 
Church,  in  a  discourse  that  is  very  excellent  in  many  respects, 
delivered  July  1,  1903,  and  published  in  "Zion's  Ensign"  of 


ALEXANDER  H.  SMITH  ON  CELESTIAL  MARRIAGE.  113 

December  31,  1903,  taught  the  eternity  of  the  marriage  cove- 
nant as  strongly  and  emphatically  as  it  could  have  been  done 
by  an  Elder  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints.  The  subject  of  the  discourse  was  :  "In  My  Father's 
house  are  many  mansions,"  after  enlarging  upon  the  theme 
for  some  time,  he  concludes  his  discourse  with  some  personal 
testimony  regarding  the  last  illness  of  his  mother  from 
which  the  following  extracts  are  here  produced : 

"Pretty  soon  the  still,  small  voice  of  the  Spirit  said,  'If  your 
mother  dies  she  will  be  with  her  companion,  Joseph.  If  she  lives 
she  cannot  but  live  a  few  short  years  at  most  of  pain  and  an- 
guish.' " 

********* 

"Just  before  she  passed  away  she  called,  'Joseph,  Joseph/  I 
thought  she  meant  my  brother.  He  was  in  the  room,  and  I 
spoke  to  him,  and  said,  Joseph,  mother  wants  you.  I  was  at 
the  head  of  the  bed.  My  mother  raised  right  up,  lifted  her  left 
hand  as  high  as  she  could  raise  it,  and  called,  'Joseph.'  I  put  my 
left  arm  tinder  her  shoulders,  took  her  hand  in  mine,  saying, 
Mother,  what  is  it,  laid  her  hand  on  her  bosom,  and  she  was 
dead;  she  had  passed  away. 

"And  when  I  talked  of  her  calling,  Sr.  Revel,  who  was  with 
us  during  our  sickness,  said,  Don't  you  understand  that?  No, 
I  replied,  I  do  not.  Well,  a  short  time  before  she  died  she  had 
a  vision  which  she  related  to  me.  She  said  that  your  father 
came  to  her  and  said  to  her :  Emma,  come  with  me,  it  is  time 
for  you  to  come  with  me.  And  as  she  related  it  she  said,  I  put 
on  my  bonnet  and  my  shawl  and  went  with  him;  I  did  not  think 
that  it  was  anything  unusual.  I  went  with  him  into  a  mansion, 
a  beautiful  mansion,  and  he  showed  me  through  the  different 
apartments  of  that  beautiful  mansion.  And  one  room  was  the 
nursery.  In  that  nursery  was  a  babe  in  the  cradle.  She  said, 
I  knew  my  babe,  my  Don  Carlos  that  was  taken  away  from  me. 
She  sprang  forward,  caught  the  child  up  in  her  arms,  and  wept 
with  joy  over  the  child.  When  she  recovered  herself  sufficiently 
she  turned  to  Joseph,  and  said,  Where  are  the  rest  of  my  chil- 
dren? He  said  to  her,  Emma,  be  patient,  and  you  shall  have  all 
of  your  children." 

Then  Alexander  comments: 

"Do  you  wonder  why,  as  a  son  of  that  mother,  I  plead  for 
those  who  believe  upon  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  picture  their 
beautiful  home  in  the  city  of  God,  in  the  language  that  I  do, 
when  I  realize  that  my  mother  occupies,  or  will  occupy  one  of 
those  beautiful  mansions?  It  may  be  imagination;  but  it  is  grand; 
it  tills  me  with  a  grand  hope." 


114  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

And  so  they  do  hope,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they 
oppose  us  in  this  doctrine,  and  say  that  there  is  no  union  of 
parents  and  children  in  family  union  after  death.  They  se- 
cretly hope,  and  pray  in  their  very  hearts,  that  after  all  in 
this  we  may  be  right. 

BLOOD  ATONEMENT. 

This  subject  is  also  found  in  Blood  Atonement  and  the 
Origin  of  Plural  Marriage,  therefore  only  a  brief  outline 
will  be  given  here.  Joseph  Smith  taught  that  there  were 
certain  sins  so  grievious  that  man  may  commit,  that  will 
place  the  transgressors  beyond  the  power  of  the  atonement 
of  Christ.  If  these  offenses  are  committed,  then  the  blood 
of  Christ  will  not  cleanse  them  from  their  sins  even  though 
they  repent.  Therefore  their  only  hope  is  to  have  their  own 
blood  shed  to  atone,  as  far  as  possible,  in  their  behalf.  This 
is  Scriptural  doctrine,  and  is  taught  in  all  the  standard  works 
of  the  Church.  The  doctrine  was  established  in  the  begin- 
ning, that  "Whoso  sheddeth  man's  blood,  by  man  shall  his 
blood  be  shed;  for  man  shall  not  shed  the  blood  of  man. 
For  a  commandment  I  give,  that  every  man's  brother  shall 
preserve  the  life  of  man,  for  in  mine  own  image  have  I 
made  man." — (Genesis,  9:12-13,  Inspired  Scriptures). 

This  was  the  law  among  the  Nephites :  "Wo  unto  the 
murderer,  who  deliberately  killeth,  for  he  shall  die." — (II. 
Nephi,  9:35). 

John  says :  "If  any  man  see  his  brother  sin  a  sin  which 
is  not  unto  death,  he  shall  ask,  and  he  shall  give  him  life 
for  them  that  sin  not  unto  death.  There  is  a  sin  unto  death: 
I  do  not  say  that  ye  shall  pray  for  it." 

Every  nation  since  the  world  began  has  practiced  blood 
atonement  at  least  in  part  as  that  doctrine  is  based  upon  the 
Scriptures.  And  men  for  certain  crimes  have  had  to  atone 
for  their  sins,  wherein  they  have  placed  themselves  beyond 
the  redeeming  power  of  the  blood  of  Christ. 

But  that  the  Church  practices  "Blood  Atonement"  on 
apostates  or  any  others,  which  is  preached  by  ministers  of 
the  "Reorganization"  is  a  damnable  falsehood  for  which  the 
accusers  must  answer. 


ZION  THE  AMERICAN  HEMISPHERE.  115 

ZION. 

Members  of  the  "Reorganized"  Church  inform  its  that 
Zion  does  not  include  Utah,*  but  is  limited  to  Jackson  Coun- 
ty, Mo.,  and  the  regions  round  about,  Nauvoo  being  one 
of  the  "corner  stones ;"  and  when  the  Saints  came  westward 
they  left  the  borders  of  Zion.  Moreover,  since  Temples  were 
to  be  built  in  Zion  and  Jerusalem,  all  the  Temples  we  may 
build  in  Utah  or  the  West  are  not  recognized  of  the  Lord 
on  this  ground  alone,  if  no  other. 

We  accept  the  fact  that  the  center  place  where  the  City 
New  Jerusalem  is  to  be  built,  is  in  Jackson  County,  Mis- 
souri. It  was  never  the  intention  to  substitute  Utah  or  any 
other  place  for  Jackson  County.  But  we  do  hold  that  Zion 
when  reference  is  made  to  the  land,  is  as  broad  as  America, 
borth  North  and  South — all  of  it  is  Zion.  If  Zion  is  limited 
in  its  scope  to  the  country  surrounding  Jackson  County,  it 
is  indeed  too  bad  that  Nephi  did  not  know  that  fact.  What 
a  glorious  thing  it  would  have  been  had  there  been  a  few 
Reorganites  in  his  day  to  inform  him  of  it.  Then  he  and  his 
people  would  not  have  fallen  into  the  error  of  building 
Temples — like  unto  Solomon's  at  Jerusalem — away  off  down 
in  Central  or  South  America,  but  they  could  have  placed 
one  in  Jackson  County,  or  the  regions  round  about.  It  was 
really  an  unfortunate  occurrence. 

But  to  be  serious.  The  Book  of  Mormon  informs  us 
that  the  whole  of  America,  both  North  and  South,  is  a 
choice  land  above  all  other  lands,  in  other  words — Zion. 
The  Lord  told  the  Jaredites  that  He  would  lead  them  to  a 
land  "which  is  choice  above  all  the  land  of  the  earth."  (Ether 
1 :  42) .  We  understand  that  they  landed  in  Central  America 
where  their  kingdom  existed  the  greater  part  of  their  resi- 
dence in  America.  When  the  Lord  led  the  family  of  Lehi 
to  this  land,  He  said  to  them :  "And  inasmuch  as  ye  shall 
keep  my  commandments,  ye  shall  prosper,  and  shall  be  led 
to  a  land  of  promise;  yea,  even  a  land  which  I  have  pre- 
pared for  you;  yea,  a  land  which  is  choice  above  all  other 
lands."  (I.  Nephi,  2:20).  It  is  generally  understood  that 

*See  Pamphlet  by  Hyrum  O.  Smith,  "The  Necessity  for  a 
Reorganisation,"  pp.  22-24. 


116  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH* 

they  landed  in  South  America,  and  that  their  nations,  the 
Nephites  and  Lamanites,  dwelt  in  South  and  Central  Amer- 
ica during  the  greater  part  of  their  sojourn  here.  At  any 
rate,  the  time  of  their  civilization  was  principally  spent  in  the 
South  and  not  in  the  region  now  comprising  the  United 
States.  This  proves  beyond  the  possibility  of  doubt  that 
the  choice  land  was  South  as  well  as  North  America, 
and  while  the  City  New  Jerusalem,  which  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon tells  us  is  to  be  built  on  this  land  that  is  choice  above 
all  other  lands,  will  be  in  Jackson  County,  nevertheless,  if 
one  accepts  the  Book  of  Mormon,  one  must  accept  the  whole 
hemisphere  as  the  land  of  Zion. 

At  the  April  conference  of  the  Church,  held  at  Nau- 
voo  in  1844,  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  declared  that  the 
whole  of  America  was  Zion.  (See  Mill.  Star,  23:280). 
His  remarks  are  recorded  in  the  Life  of  Joseph  the  Prophet 
(Reorganite  edition,  page  503)  as  follows: 

"But  in  the  mighty  sweep  of  the  crowning  sermons  of 
his  life  we  must  not  overlook  the  more  miscellaneous  gems  and 
striking  sayings.  Here  is  one  for  America,  like  the  sound  of 
an  archangel's  trump: 

"I  want  to  make  a  proclamation  to  the  Elders.  You  know 
very  well  that  the  Lord  has  led  this  Church  by  revelation.  I 
have  now  another  revelation — a  grand  and  glorious  revelation. 
I  shall  not  be  able  to  dwell  as  largely  upon  it  as  at  some  other 
time,  but  I  will  give  you  the  first  principles.  You  know  there 
has  been  a  great  discussion  in  relation  to  Zion,  where  it  is,  and 
where  the  gathering  of  the  dispensation  is,  which  I  am  now 
going  to  tell  you.  The  Prophets  have  spoken  and  written  upon 
it,  but  I  will  make  a  proclamation  that  will  cover  a  broader 
ground.  The  whole  of  America  is  Zion  itself,  from  north  to  south, 
and  is  described  by  the  Prophets,  who  declared  that  it  is  the 
Zion,  where  the  mountain  of  the  Lord  should  be,  and  that  it 
should  be  in  the  centre  of  the  land.  When  the  Elders  will  take 
up  and  examine  the  old  prophecies  in  the  Bible  they  will  see  it." 

"AN   ESOTERIC   GOSPEL." 

Another  charge  is  that  after  the  death  of  Joseph  and 
Hyrum  Smith,  President  Young  and  the  Apostles  intro- 
duced secrets  into  the  Church,  that  they  claimed  to  hold 
"keys  that  the  written  word  never  spoke  of,  nor  never  will." 
(True  Succession,  p.  122).  All  this,  say  they,  is  contrary  tr 


"AN  ESOTERIC  GOSPEL."  117 

the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  and  to  the  teachings  of  Joseph 
Smith,  who  always  taught  openly  and  not  in  secret.  One  of 
their  defenders  writing  on  this  point  quotes  from  the  Re- 
deemer as  follows : 

"Jesus  answered  him,  I  spake  openly  to  the  world;  I  ever 
taught  in  the  synagogue,  and  in  the  temple,  wither  the  Jews 
always  resort;  and  in  secret  have  I  said  nothing.  Why  ask  thou 
me?  ask  them:  behold  they  know  what  I  said."  (John  18:  18-21.) 

"But  Brigham  was  afraid  that  people  would  ask  his  follow- 
ers what  he  taught.  In  speaking  of  some  who  wanted  their 
endowments,  he  says:  'Well,  he  gets  his  endowment,  and  what 
for?  To  go  to  California,  and  reveal  everything  he  can,  and  stir 
up  wickedness,  and  prepare  himself  for  hell.*  (Journal  of  Dis- 
courses, 2:  144). 

"Christ  was  not  afraid  of  any  revealments.  He  stood  there 
among  His  enemies,  defying  them  to  find  any  fault  with  His 
teachings;  but  Brigham  was  afraid  of  what  his  followers  might 
reveal  of  his  doctrine  and  secret  works.  Did  he  represent 
Christ?"  (Necessity  for  a  Reorganization,  p.  30). 

Yes,  Jesus  taught  the  Gospel  openly  as  far  as  the  Jews 
were  able  to  stand  it;  but  it  does  not  follow  that  he  did  not 
teach  His  disciples  things  that  were  not  for  the  world !  And 
at  times  He  was  constrained  by  His  Father  from  teaching 
His  disciples  some  truths.  Why?  Because  of  the  hardness 
of  their  hearts  they  were  not  able  to  receive  His  teachings. 
In  not  revealing  everything  to  the  world,  did  Brigham 
Young, — aye,  did  Joseph  Smith  represent  Christ?  for  Brig- 
ham  Young  was  only  following  in  the  footsteps  of  the  Seer ! 
What  was  it  the  Savior  said  to  Peter,  James,  and  John, 
when  they  came  down  from  the  mount  of  transfiguration? 
Jesus  charged  them,  saying,  "Tell  the  vision  to  no  man,  unjil 
the  Son  of  Man  be  risen  again  from  the  dead." — Matt.  17:  8. 
(Inspired  Scriptures)  Why  didn't  he  tell  them  to  proclaim 
it  openly  from  the  housetops?  Because  it  was  not  for  the 
world!  Jesus  was  in  the  habit  of  teaching  the  people  in 
parables.  On  one  occasion  when  He  had  thus  spoken,  His 
disciples  came  and  said  unto  him : 

"Why  speakest  Thou  unto  them  in  parables?  He  an- 
swered and  said  unto  them,  Because  it  is  given  unto  you  to  know 
the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  to  them  it  is  not 
given.  For  whosoever  receiveth,  to  him  shall  be  given,  and  he 


118  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

shall  have  more  abundance;  but  whosoever  continueth  not  to 
receive,  from  him  shall  be  taken  away  even  that  he  hath.  There- 
fore speak  I  to  them  in  parables;  because  they,  seeing,  see  not; 
and  hearing,  they  hear  not;  neither  do  they  understand."  (Matt 
13:8-12). 

On  another  occasion  Jesus  said  unto  His  disciples: 
"And  other  sheep  I  have,  which  are  not  of  this  fold;  them 
also  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my  voice ;  and  there 
shall  be  one  fold,  and  one  shepherd."  (John  10:16).  But 
He  did  not  tell  them  who  those  "other  sheep"  were.  The 
reason  He  failed  to  tell  them  this  interesting  fact  we  learn 
from  the  Book  of  Mormon: 

"And  now  it  came  to  pass  that  when  Jesus  had  spoken  these 
words,  He  said  unto  those  Twelve  whom  He  had  chosen,  ye 
are  my  disciples;  and  ye  are  a  light  unto  this  people,  who  are 
a  remnant  of  the  house  of  Joseph.  And  behold,  this  is  the 
land  of  your  inheritance;  and  the  Father  hath  given  it  unto 
you.  And  not  at  any  time  hath  the  Father  given  me  com- 
mandment that  I  should  tell  it  unto  your  brethren  at  Jerusalem; 
neither  at  any  time  hath  the  Father  given  me  commandment, 
that  I  should  tell  unto  them  concerning  the  other  tribes  of  the 
house  of  Israel,  whom  the  Father  hath  led  away  out  of  the 
land.  This  much  did  the  Father  command  me,  that  I  should 
tell  unto  them.  That  other  sheep  I  have,  which  are  not  of  this 
fold;  them  also  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my  voice, 
and  there  shall  be  one  fold,  and  one  shepherd.  And  now, 
because  of  stiffneckedness  and  unbelief,  they  understood  not  my 
word:  therefore  I  was  commanded  to  say  no  more  of  the  Father 
concerning  this  thing  unto  them."  (III.  Nephi,  15:11-17). 

How  different  this  is  from  Reorganite  philosophy,  ac- 
cording to  their  rule  of  faith,  Jesus  should  have  spoken  bold- 
ly and  openly  and  should  not  have  withheld  anything.  Was 
Jesus  "afraid  of  any  revealments  ?" 

Paul  says  he  knew  a  man,  whether  in  the  body,  or  out 
of  the  body,  he  could  not  tell,  "How  that  he  was  caught 
up  into  paradise,  and  heard  unspeakable  words,  which  it  is 
not  lawful  for  a  man  to  utter."  What  made  the  words  un- 
lawful to  utter  to  man?  simply  because  in  the  hardness  of 
his  heart  and  unbelief,  man  was  not  worthy  to  hear  them, 
he  could  not  endure  them. 

The  Book  of  Mormon  is  most  emphatic  on  this  point 


MYSTERIES  NOT  REVEALED  TO  WORLD.        119 

that  there  are  "mysteries"  that  are  not  to  be  revealed  to  the 
unfaithful.    This  is  from  the  Prophet  Alma: 

"And  now  Alma  began  to  expound  these  things  unto  him, 
(Zeezrom),  saying,  It  is  given  unto  many  to  know  the  mysteries 
of  God;  nevertheless  they  are  laid  under  a  strict  command,  that  they 
shall  not  impart  only  according  to  the  portion  of  His  ivord,  which 
He  doth  grant  unto  the  children  of  men;  according  to  the  heed 
and  diligence  which  they  give  unto  Him;  and  therefore  he  that 
will  harden  his  heart,  the  same  receiveth  the  lesser  portion  of 
the  word;  and  he  that  will  not  harden  his  heart,  to  him  is  given 
the  greater  portion  of  the  word,  until  he  know  them  in  full;  and 
they  that  will  harden  their  hearts,  to  them  is  given  the  lesser 
portion  of  the  word,  until  they  know  nothing  concerning  his  mys- 
teries; and  then  they  are  taken  captive  by  the  devil,  and  led 
by  his  will  down  to  destruction.  Now,  this  is  what  is  meant 
by  the  chains  of  hell." 

It  is  because  Reorganites  have  hardened  their  hearts 
that  they  have  not  received  the  greater  portion  of  the  word, 
even  the  mysteries,  and  therefore  they  are,  through  their 
hard-heartedness  and  unbelief,  captives  of  the  devil  and  in 
danger  of  the  chains  of  hell. 

If  the  Lord  places  His  servants  under  a  strict  command 
not  to  reveal  His  word,  "only  according  to  the  portion  of 
His  word,  which  He  doth  grant  unto  the  children  of  men, 
according  to  the  heed  and  diligence  which  they  give  unto 
Him;"  and,  therefore,  they  withhold  some  of  those  things 
from  the  world  that  have  been  revealed  unto  them,  does  that 
make  them  cowardly?  If  so,  not  only  Brigham  Young,  but 
Joseph  Smith,  yes,  even  the  Son  of  Man  Himself  would  be 
cowardly.  No,  the  fact  that  they  have  refused  to  do  this 
thing  proves  them  to  possess  the  greatest  courage,  for  it 
has  caused  them  to  face  persecutions,  even  death. 

We  are  told  that  the  Book  of  Mormon  contains  the  full- 
ness of  the  Gospel,  yet  the  greater  parts  of  the  teachings 
of  the  Savior  to  that  people  are  not  yet  revealed,  because  of 
the  unbelief  of  the  people.  This  is  from  III.  Nephi,  26th 
chapter : 

"And  now  there  cannot  be  written  in  this  book  even  a 
hundredth  part  of  the  teachings  which  Jesus  did  truly  teach 
unto  the  people;  but  behold  the  plates  of  Nephi  do  contain  the 
more  part  of  the  things  which  He  taught  the  people;  and  these 


120  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

things  have  I  written,  which  are  a  lesser  part  of  the  things  which 
He  taught  the  people;  and  I  have  written  them  to  the  intent 
that  they  may  be  brought  again  unto  this  people,  from  the 
Gentiles,  according  to  the  words  which  Jesus  hath  spoken. 

"And  when  they  shall  have  received  this,  which  is  expedient 
that  they  should  have  first,  to  try  their  faith,  and  if  it  shall 
so  be  that  they  shall  believe  these  things,  then  shall  the  greater 
things  be  made  manifest  unto  them.  And  if  it  so  tie  that  they 
will  not  believe  these  things,  then  shall  the  greater  things 
be  withheld  from  them,  unto  their  condemnation.  Behold  I  was 
about  to  write  them  all  which  were  engraven  upon  the  plates 
of  Nephi,  but  the  Lord  forbid  it,  saying,  I  will  try  the  faith  of  my 
people."  (Verses  6-11). 

The  calling  of  Brigham  Young  a  coward  for  withhold- 
ing some  things  that  the  Lord  has  revealed  to  His  Church, 
may  be  excused  because  of  the  ignorance  of  the  accusers; 
but  who  dare  presume  to  say  the  Lord  was  cowardly  because 
He  withheld  the  greater  things  from  His  people?  And  yet 
if  you  have  done  it  unto  one  of  His  servants  ye  have  done  it 
unto  Him. 

Again : 

"Behold,  I  have  written  upon  these  plates  the  very  things 
which  the  brother  of  Jared  saw:  and  there  never  was  greater 
things  made  manifest,  than  that  which  was  made  manifest  unto 
the  brother  of  Jared;  wherefore  the  Lord  hath  commanded 
me  to  write  them;  and  I  have  written  them.  And  He  com- 
manded me  that  I  should  seal  them  up;  and  He  also  hath 
commanded  that  I  should  seal  up  the  interpretation  thereof; 
wherefore  I  have  sealed  up  the  interpreters,  according  to  the 
commandment  of  the  Lord.  For  the  Lord  said  unto  me,  They 
shall  not  go  forth  unto  the  Gentiles  until  the  day  that  they 
shall  repent  of  their  iniquity,  and  become  clean  before  the 
Lord."  (Ether  4:4-6). 

Joseph  the  Prophet  was  commanded  to  keep  some  things 
from  going  out  into  the  world  that  had  been  revealed  unto 
him  and  the  Church.  He  also  received  revelations  that  he 
could  not  teach  to  the  Church  in  the  beginning,  no  more  than 
Jesus  could  teach  all  things  to  His  disciples-  When  he  did 
reveal  some  of  the  "mysteries"  there  were  many  who  left 
Him  and  denied  the  faith,  just  as  they  did  when  Jesus  told 
His  disciples  He  was  the  bread  of  life  (John  6:66).  "many 
of  them  went  back  and  walked  no  more  with  Him."  The 


"KEEP  THESE  THINGS  FROM  THE  WORLD."     121 

Prophet  said  at  Kirtland,  April  6,  1837:  "If  the  Church 
knew  all  the  commandments,  one  half  they  would  condemn 
through  prejudice  and  ignorance.  (Hist,  of  Church,  Vol. 
2 :  477).  A  great  many  did  fall  away  at  that  time,  not  being 
able  to  endure,  and  among  them  were  the  Witnesses  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  one  of  whom  afterwards  set  up  a  church  of 
his  own,  declaring  that  Joseph  Smith  was  a  fallen  Prophet, 
and  rejecting  all  his  commandments  given  after  about  1835. 
The  Lord  gave  a  revelation  to  the  Prophet,  March  7, 
1831,  at  Kirtland  (Sec.  45),  in  which  He  revealed  many 
things  to  take  place  before  His  second  coming,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  revelation  He  said : 

"And  now  I  say  unto  you,  keep  these  things  from  going  abroad 
unto  the  world,  until  it  is  expedient  in  me  that  ye  may  accom- 
plish this  work  in  the  eyes  of  the  people,  and  in  the  eyes 
of  your  enemies,  that  they  may  not  know  your  works  until  ye 
have  accomplished  the  thing  which  I  have  commanded  you." 

When  the  Prophet  Joseph  gave  his  charge  to  the  first 
foreign  missionaries  of  the  Church,  Elders  Heber  C.  Kim- 
ball,  Orson  Hyde,  Joseph  Fielding,  and  others,  he  said : 

"My  instructions  to  the  brethren  were,  when  they  arrived 
in  England,  to  adhere  closely  to  the  first  principles  of  the  Gos- 
pel, and  remain  silent  concerning  the  gathering,  the  vision,  (D.  & 
C.,  Sec.  76),  and  the  Book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  until  such 
time  as  the  work  was  fully  established,  and  it  should  be  clearly 
made  manifest  by  the  Spirit  to  do  otherwise.  (Hist,  of  Church, 
2:492). 

Was  there  anything  in  the  doctrine  of  gathering,  in  the 
vision,  or  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  that  Joseph  Smith 
was  ashamed  of?  Was  he  "afraid  that  people  would  ask  his 
followers  what  he  taught?"  that  he  gave  such  a  charge 
to  these  first  foreign  missionaries  of  the  Church!  Was  he 
afraid,  a  coward?  No,  he  was  merely  obeying  the  voice  of 
the  Spirit,  for  the  people  were  not  prepared  to  receive  these 
things.  Brigham  Young  was  no  more  "afraid  that  the  peo- 
ple would  ask  his  followers  what  he  taught,"  than  was  Jos- 
eph Smith,  or  even  the  Master  Himself,  when  He  command- 
ed certain  of  His  disciples  to  withhold  some  of  His  teach- 
ings from  the  world,  until  after  His  resurrection. 

Now,  our  Reorganite  friends  have  attempted  to  make 


122  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

considerable  capital  out  .of  the  statement  of  President  Brig- 
ham  Young,  that  there  were  "keys  that  the  written  word 
never  spoke  of,  nor  never  will."  In  the  light  of  the  facts  here- 
in set  forth,  that  "it  is  given  unto  many  to  know  the  myster- 
ies of  God ;  nevertheless  they  are  laid  under  a  strict  com- 
mand, that  they  shall  not  impart  only  according  to  the  por- 
tion of  His  word,  which  He  doth  grant  unto  the  children  of 
men;  acccMing  to  the  heed  and  diligence  which  '.they; 
give  unto  Him,  and  that  things  have  been  revealed  to  the 
faithful  even  to  babes,  that  were  "forbidden,  that  there 
should  not  any  man  write  them,"  and  that  many  of  them 
have  seen  and  heard  "unspeakable  things,  which  are  not  law- 
ful to  be  written,"  (III.  Nephi,  26: 16,  18).  is  it,  after  all, 
so  unreasonable  that  there  should  be  keys  that  the  written 
word  does  not  and  will  not  speak  of?  Joseph  Smith  the 
Prophet  held  the  "keys"  of  the  mystery  of  things  which  have 
been  sealed,  even  things  which  were  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world."  (D.  &  C.,  35:  18),  which  mysteries  it  was 
given  to  the  Saints  to  know,  "but  unto  the  world  it  is  not 
given  to  know  them"  (D.  &  C.  42:  65).  Again:  "But 
unto  him  that  keepeth  my  commandments,  I  will  give  the 
mysteries  of  my  kingdom,  and  the  same  shall  be  in  him  a 
well  of  living  water,  springing  up  unto  everlasting  life." 
(D.  &  C,  63:23). 

Now,  how  were  these  keys  and  mysteries  to  be  kept 
from  the  world,  if  they  were  to  be  published  to  the  world 
in  the  written  word  ?  And  if  the  Saints  through  faithfulness 
are  to  receive  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom,  then  they  must 
be  withheld  from  the  world  and  from  the  unfaithful.  How 
is  this  to  be  if  they  are  to  be  published  to  the  world  in  the 
written  word?  Therefore,  when  our  friends  of  the  "Re- 
organization" attack  President  Young  because  there  were 
keys  not  spoken  of  in  the  written  word,  which  keys  we  have 
seen  were  held  by  Joseph  Smith,  they  merely  display  their 
own  ignorance  and  folly  in  raising  the  question. 

TEMPLE     BUILDING     AND     CEREMONIAL     ENDOW- 
MENTS  THEREIN. 

Another  phase  of  this  same  subject  is  Temple  work, 
which  is  so  bitterly  attacked  by  the  Reorganites.  They  say : 


TEMPLES  AND  ENDOWMENTS  THEREIN.  123 

"That  as  to  the  alleged  'temple  building  and  ceremonial  en- 
dowments therein/  that  we  know  of  no  temple  building,  except 
as  edifices  wherein  to  worship  God,  and  no  endowment  except 
the  endowment  of  the  Holy  Spirit  of  the  kind  experienced  by  the 
early  Saints  on  Pentecost  day."  (Book  of  Resolutions,  p.  82). 

They  take  the  ground  that  the  Temple  work  of  the  Lat- 
ter-day Saints  is  contrary  to  the  teachings  of  the  Prophet, 
and  it  was  not  contemplated  before  the  martyrdom  that  in 
the  Temple  of  God  anything  of  a  secret  nature  should  take 
place.  Of  course  it  is  to  be  expected  that  the  "Reorgan- 
ization" knows  of  "no  Temple  building  or  ceremonial  en- 
dowments therein/'  for  they  have  rejected  the  "greater 
things"  and  therefore  the  Lord  has  withheld  from  them 
this  knowledge  "to  their  condemnation."  This  charge  has 
been  already  answered  in  part  in  what  goes  before,  but  we 
will  see  what  is  in  the  revelations  to  Joseph  Smith  which 
justify  still  further  the  actions  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints  in  the  belief  and  practice  of  "ceremon- 
ial endowments,"  etc.,  in  the  Temples. 

After  speaking  of  baptism  for  the  dead  in  the  revelation 
of  January  19,  1841,  the  Lord  continues: 

"And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  How  shall  your  washings 
be  acceptable  unto  me,  except  ye  perform  them  in  a  house 
which  you  have  built  to  my  name?  *  *  *  Therefore,  verily 
I  say  unto  you,  that  your  anointings,  and  your  washings,  and 
your  baptisms  for  the  dead,  and  your  solemn  assemblies,  and 
your  memorials  for-  your  sacrfices,  by  the  sons  of  Levi,  and 
for  your  oracles  in  your  most  holy  places,  wherein  you  receive 
conversations,  and  your  statutes  and  judgments,  for  the  begin- 
ning of  the  revelations  and  foundation  of  Zion,  and  for  her  glory, 
honor,  and  endowment  of  all  her  municipals,  are  ordained  by  the 
ordinance  of  my  holy  house  which  my  people  are  always  commanded 
to  build  unto  my  holy  name.  And  verily  I  say  unto  you,  Let  this 
house  be  built  unto  my  name,  that  /  may  reveal  mine  ordinances 
therein,  unto  my  people."  (Verses  37-40). 

Here  are  mentioned  ordinances  that  were  not  had  on 
Pentecost  day  that  were  to  be  had  in  the  Lord's  Temple,  of 
which  our  self-confessed  Reorganites  know  nothing,  be- 
cause God  has  not  revealed  these  things  unto  them  and  He 
will  not  for  they  have  rejected  these  greater  things  to  their 
own  condemnation. 

In  the  Book  of  Abraham  (See  Pearl  of  Great  Price) 


124  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

published  by  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  in  the  Times  and 
Seasons  in  1842,  is  given  a  fac-similie  of  hieroglyphics  with 
an  accompanying  translation  by  Joseph  Smith,  as  far  as  he 
was  permitted  to  translate.  These  figures  are  numbered 
from  1  to  20.  Here  are  some  of  these  translations  and  com- 
ments of  the  Prophet :  Figure  3. — Is  made  to  represent  God, 
sitting  upon  His  throne,  clothed  with  power  and  authority ; 
with  a  crown  of  eternal  light  upon  His  head;  representing 
also  the  grand  key-words  of  the  Holy  Priesthood,  as  re- 
vealed to  Adam,  etc."  Figure  7. — Represents  God  sitting 
upon  His  throne  revealing  through  the  heavens,  the  grand 
key-words  of  the  Priesthood,  as,  also  the  sign  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  unto  Abraham,  in  the  form  of  a  dove.  Figure  8. — 
Contains  writing  that  cannot  be  revealed  unto  the  world, 
but  is  to  be  had  in  the  Holy  Temple  of  God.  Figures  9,  10, 
11,  the  Prophet  says,  "Ought  not  to  be  revealed  at  the  pres- 
ent time;  if  the  world  can  find  out  these  numbers,  so  let 
it  be.  Amen."  Figures  12  to  20,  "Will  be  given  in  the  own 
due  time  of  the  Lord."  Then  the  Prophet  concludes :  "The 
above  translation  is  given  as  far  as  we  have  any  right  to 
give,  at  the  present  time." 

Here,  then,  we  find  things  that  were  to  be  taught  to  the 
Saints  in  the  Temple  of  the  Lord,  but  were  not  to  be  re- 
vealed to  the  world;  for  they  are  sacred  and  holy,  and  can 
only  be  had  in  the  Temple  of  God,  for  the  Lord  through 
Joseph  Smith  declared  it. 

Again,  in  verse  28  (sec.  124),  the  Lord  says:  "For 
there  is  not  a  place  found  on  earth  that  he  may  come  and 
restore  again  that  which  was  lost  unto  you,  or  which  he  hath 
taken  away,  even  the  fullness  of  the  Priesthood."  There- 
fore, we  learn  that  only  in  the  Temple  of  the  Lord  can  the 
fullness  of  the  Priesthood  be  received  by  His  people. 

These  facts  place  our  Reorganite  brethren  in  a  rather 
unenviable  light,  for  they  are  opposing  through  ignorance 
and  unbelief,  and  the  hardness  of  their  hearts,  the  revelations 
of  the  Lord  on  Temple  work  as  it  was  revealed  to  Joseph 
Smith,  and  by  him  to  others,  and  from  them  to  the  Church. 

"Hold  on,"  say  they,  "not  so  fast,"  "the  Lord  said  He 
was  about  to  restore  these  things,  but  it  depended  on  the 
faithfulness  of  the  Saints,  and  Joseph  Smith  died  before 


TEMPLES  AND  ENDOWMENTS  THEREIN.      125 

the  Temple  was  built,  therefore,  since  these  things  could  only 
be  revealed  to  the  people  in  the  Temple  they  were  not  re- 
vealed." 

"Have  any  such  revelations  been  received?  Name 
them.  Where  are  they  and  what  are  they?  Our  Doctrine 
and  Covenants  contains  only  two  sections  that  were  given 
between  that  time  and  the  time  the  Saints  left  Nauvoo,  and 
they  are  not  revelations,  but  letters  of  Joseph  Smith  contain- 
ing items  of  revelation  pertaining  to  baptism  for  the  dead. 
The  Utah  Doctrine  and  Covenants  contains  nothing  that 
could  be  accepted  as  a  response,  an  answer,  to  the  promise 
in  full."* 

Now,  it's  our  turn  to  cry  "Hold  on,  not  so  fast."  We 
will  examine  the  word  of  the  Lord:  In  verse  41  (sec.  124) 
He  says :  For  I  deign  to  reveal  unto  my  Church,  things 
which  have  been  kept  hid  from  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world,  things  that  pertain  to  the  dispensation  of  the  fullness 
of  times."  Well,  if  we  were  rejected,  and  they  have  not 
received  the  revelations  of  these  things  the  Lord  was  about 
to  reveal  to  His  Church,  then  it  stands  to  reason  that  they 
are  not  His  Church  or  they  would  have  received  them.  For 
the  word  of  the  Lord  cannot  be  broken.  They  testify  to  us 
that  they  have  not  received  these  things- 

.  In  section  127 : 8,  the  Lord  again  affirms :  "For  /  am 
about  to  restore  many  things  to  the  earth,  pertaining  to  the 
Priesthood,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts."  Yes,  He  was  about 
to  do  it,  but  nearly  seventy  years  have  passed  away  and  the 
"Reorganization"  confesses  that  they  have  not  been  revealed 
to  them  yet!  Then  they  are  not  the  Church!  This  is  ob- 
vious. 

Elijah  said  the  time  had  fully  come  (Sec.  110)  and  the 
Prophet  said  "the  earth  will  be  smitten  with  a  curse,  unless 
there  is  a  welding  link  of  some  kind  or  other,  between  the 
fathers  and  the  children  *  *  *  it  is  necessary  in  the 
ushering  in  of  the  dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  times  *  * 
that  a  whole  and  complete  and  perfect  union,  and  welding 
together  of  dispensations,  and  keys,  and  powers,  and  glories 
should  take  place  and  be  revealed  from  the  days  of  Adam 


*Saints'  Herald,  Vol.  56:662. 


126  tHE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

even  to  the  present  time ;  and  not  only  this,  but  those  things 
which  never  have  been  revealed  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world,  but  have  been  kept  hid  from  the  wise  and  prudent, 
shall  be  revealed  unto  babes  and  sucklings  in  this  the  dis- 
pensation of  the  fullness  of  times."  (Sec.  128:  18). 

Here  is  a  point  of  considerable  interest  that  our  friends 
have  overlooked. .  The  Lord  says :  "And  I  will  show  unto 
my  servant  Joseph  ALL  THINGS  pertaining  to  this  house, 
and  the  Priesthood  thereof;  and  the  place  whereon  it  shall 
be  built.  (Sec.  124:42).  Evidently  the  Lord  was  going  to 
show  him  these  things  before  the  Temple  was  built.  Did 
the  Lord  keep  His  word?  Our  Reorganite  friends  say  not, 
that  these  things  were  not  revealed.  But  they  were  re- 
vealed to  Joseph  Smith  and  he  revealed  them  to  others;  not 
the  unfaithful  who  would  receive  only  the  "lesser  portion 
of  the  word"  and  were  therefore  denied  the  greater  things, 
but  he  taught  them  to  the  Apostles  and  others.  Now,  the 
Lord  did  not  say  that  Joseph  Smith  could  not  receive  the 
fullness  of  the  Priesthood  out  side  of  the  Temple,  neither 
that  he  should  not  confer  the  same  Priesthood  upon  others, 
to  the  contrary  the  Lord  said  He  would  reveal  these  things 
to  Joseph  Smith,  but  it  was  His  people,  His  Church  that 
could  not  receive  them  outside  of  the  Temple  of  the  Lord ! 
and  unto  them  He  was  going  to  reveal  them  in  the  Temple, 
but  unto  Joseph  Smith  He  would  show  all  things  pertaining 
to  His  house,  and  the  Priesthood  thereof. 

It  is  unnecessary  here  to  quote  the  evidence  proving 
that  Joseph  Smith  received  all  things  pertaining  to  the 
Priesthood  of  the  Lord's  house  and  conferred  them  on  the 
heads  of  the  Apostles,  for  that  is  given  in  another  place,  and 
has  often  been  recorded.  It  is,  therefore,  sufficient  to  say 
that  shortly  before  his  death  he  conferred  upon  the  heads 
of  the  Apostles  all  the  keys  and  Priesthood  the  Lord  had 
given  him,  and  this  was  done  by  command  of  the  Lord.  We 
will  merely  refer  to  the  testimony  of  Orson  Hyde  which 
with  other  testimonies  is  given  in  this  book.  Said  Brother 
Hyde: 

"Before  I  went  east  on  the  4th  of  April  last,  we  were  in 
council  with  Brother  Joseph  almost  every  day  for  weeks,  said 
Brother  Joseph  in  one  of  those  councils,  "There  is  something 
going  to  happen;  I  don't  know  what  it  is,  but  the  Lord  bids 


FULLNESS  OF  PRIESTHOOD  REVEALED.        127 

me  to  hasten  and  give  you  your  endowment  before  the  Temple 
is  finished.'  He  conducted  us  through  every  ordinance  of  the 
Holy  Priesthood,  and  when  he  had  gone  through  with  all  the 
ordinances,  he  rejoiced  very  much,  and  said,  'Now,  if  they  kill 
me,  you  have  got  all  the  keys,  and  all  the  ordinances,  and  you 
can  confer  them  upon  others,  and  the  hosts  of  Satan  will  not 
be  able  to  tear  down  the  kingdom,  as  fast  as  you  will  be  able 
to  build  it  up."  (Times  and  Seasons,  5:651). 

"Have  any  such  revelations  been  received?  they  cry. 
Name  them.  Where  are  they  and  what  are  they?"  Yes, 
these  revelations  have  been  received.  They  were  revealed 
to  Joseph  Smith*  and  from  him  to  the  Apostles,  and  by  the 
Apostles  they  have  been  given  to  the  faithful  Saints  in  the 
Temples  of  the  Lord;  both  at  Nauvoo  and  here  in  Utah. 
"Name  them?"  No,  I  shall  not  name  them  nor  tell  what 
they  are.  Why?  because  if  the  Lord  kept  some  things  hid 
from  the  world  since  before  the  foundation  of  the  world, 
pertaining  to  the  dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  times,  and 
has  revealed  them  now  unto  His  Church,  I  have  no  auth- 
ority to  reveal  them  to  the  world.  Moreover,  I  am — like 
every  other  member  of  the  Church — "laid  under  a  strict 
command,  not  to  impart  only  according  to  the  portion  of 
His  word,  which  He  doth  grant  unto  the  children  of  men." 
Should  I  reveal  these  things,  because  of  the  hardness  of 
your  hearts  you  would  not  receive  them,  therefore,  you  shall 
receive  but  the  lesser  portion  of  the  word,  to  your  con- 
demnation. If  you  will  not  hear  Moses  and  the  Prophets, 
neither  will  you  though  one  arose  from  the  dead. 

REVELATION. 

Another  charge  is  that  the  Presidents  of  the  Church 
have  not  received  the  revelations  of  the  Lord  which  have 
been  given  to  the  "Reorganization"  through  their  president. 

*As  an  additional  evidence  that  these  things  were  revealed 
to  the  Prophet,  attention  is  called  to  the  patriarchal  blessing 
given  by  his  father  and  found  on  page  71: 

"You  shall  even  live  to  finish  your  work.  At  this  Joseph 
cried  out,  weeping,  'Oh,  my  father,  shall  I?'  'Yes,'  said  his  father, 
'you  shall  live  to  lay  out  the  plan  of  all  the  work  which  God  has 
given  you  to  do." 

This  proves,  then,  that  the  Lord  revealed  to  him  all  these 
things  promised  in  the  revelations  that  had  been  kept  hid.  And 
he  revealed  them  unto  the  Apostles. 


128  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

The  charge  is  false.  The  Presidents  of  the  Church  from  the 
Prophet  Joseph  until  now  have  received  revelations  from 
the  Lord  for  the  guidance  of  His  people.  While  all  these 
revelations  have  not  been  placed  in  the  Doctrine  and  Cove- 
nants, they  are  none  the  less  true.  Not  all  the  revelations 
given  to  Joseph  the  Seer  were  placed  in  the  Doctrine  and 
Covenants  in  his  day,  we  have  added  many  of  his  revelations 
to  that  volume  since  his  death;  and  there  are  others  that 
have  not  been  placed  in  it.  Some  of  them  were  for  the 
Church  and  not  for  the  world,  and,  therefore,  are  given  only 
to  the  Saints.  But  many  revelations  have  been  given  to 
the  Church  since  the  death  of  Joseph  Smith,  some  of  these 
have  been  published,  some  have  not.  It  has  been  my  priv- 
ilege to  read  and  handle  a  number  of  them  that  are  still  in 
the  manuscript  and  have  not  as  yet  been  given  to  the  world 
for  a  wise  purpose  in  the  Lord.  But  they  are  on  file  and 
will  be  preserved. 

A  short  time  ago  a  number  of  Elders  visited  Lamoni 
and  held  meetings  there.  The  following  issue  of  the  Saints' 
Herald  contained  an  editorial,  not  very  dignified,  ridiculing 
them.  It  was  written  by  the  associate  editor.  In  part  he 
said : 

"It  may  be  urged  that  these  are  young  and  inexperienced 
men.  But  the  dearth  of  spiritual  oower  is  not  confined  to  these 
young  men.  Joseph  F.  Smith,  who  is  supoosed  to  be  a  'Prophet, 
seer,  and  revelator,'  when  before  the  Senate  Committee  was 
asked  by  Senator  Dubois,  'Have  you  received  any  individual  rev- 
elations yourself,  since  you  became  president  of  the  Church  un- 
der your  own  definition,  even,  of  a  revelation?' 

"To  this  he  replied,  T  cannot  say  that  I  have.' 

"A  moment  later  he  added,  'Well,  I  can  say  this:  .  That  if 
I  live  as  I  should  in  the  line  of  my  duties,  I  am  susceptible,  I 
think,  of  the  impressions  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  upon  my 
mind  at  any  time,  just  as  any  good  Methodist  or  any  other  church 
member  might  be.' 

"This  seems  to  be  in  line  with  the  experiences  of  his  pre- 
decessors, Snow,  Woodruff,  Taylor,  and  Young,  who  also  posed 
as  'revelators,'  for  during  a  period  of  over  sixty  years  they 
have  received  nothing  professing  to  be  a  revelation,  that  was 
thought  worthy  of  a  place  in  the  Book  of  Doctrine  and  Cove- 
nants." (Elbert  A.  Smith,  Saints'  Herald,  56:681). 

This  slurring  presumption  counts  for  naught,  for  the 


REVELATION.  129 

editor  of  the  Herald  knows  nothing  pertaining  to  the  reve- 
lations we  have  received,  or  what  we  think  of  them.  Nor 
is  he  fair  to  President  Joseph  F.  Smith  in  this  quotation  from 
the  record  of  the  investigation,  for  it  does  not  convey  the 
belief  or  knowledge,  or  the  true  expression  of  President 
Smith,  and  was  purposely  misapplied,  which  a  careful  read- 
ing of  his  testimony  will  show. 

To  presume  to  speak  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  is  a 
serious  matter,  and  woe  be  to  the  man  who  speaks  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  when  he  has  not  been  commanded.  It  is 
far  better  never  to  receive  a  revelation  than  to  follow  after 
those  who  receive  "revelations"  that  the  Lord  has  not  given. 
The  "revelations"  given  by  the  Reorganite  president  to  the 
"Reorganized"  Church,  need  only  to  be  read  to  convince  one 
of  their  spurious  character.  They  are  weak,  puerile,  and  it 
takes  a  very  little  of  the  spirit  of  discernment  to  know  what 
source  they  are  of.  However,  if  they  are  acceptable  to  the 
"Reorganization,"  that  is  their  business-  We  are  satisfied. 

But  the  people  who  lack  in  discernment  may  be  deceived 
through  the  pretenses  of  men  and  accept  for  facts  and  reve- 
lations that  which  the  Lord  has  not  commanded.  If  there 
are  any  who  are  honestly  deceived  pertaining  to  the  reve- 
lations of  this  man  who  presumes  to  be  the  "President  of 
the  High  Priesthood"  and  "the  mouthpiece  of  God,"  we 
will  respectfully  call  their  attention  to  one  or  two  items  in 
his  pretended  revelations. 

This  is  from  section  116,  "revelation"  given  May  4, 
1865: 

"Be  not  hasty  in  ordaining  men  of  the  negro  race  to  offi- 
ces in  my  church,  for  verily  I  say  unto  you,  All  are  not  ac- 
ceptable unto  me  as  servants,  nevertheless  I  will  that  all  may 
be  saved,  but  every  man  in  his  own  order,  and  there  are  some 
who  are  chosen  instruments  to  be  ministers  to  their  own  race. 
Be  ye  content,  I  the  Lord  have  spoken  it." 

The  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  taught  the  Saints  that  the 
negroes  could  not  hold  the  Priesthood,  for  the  Lord  had 
cursed  them  as  pertaining  to  the  Priesthood.  This  is  sup- 
ported by  the  revelation  in  the  Book  of  Abraham,  which 
was  translated  by  the  Prophet.  It  reads : 

"Now   the   first   government   of   Egypt   was   established   by 


130  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

Pharaoh,  the  eldest  son  of  Egyptus,  the  daughter  of  Ham,  and 
it  was  after  the  manner  of  government  of  Ham,  which  was 
patriarchal. 

"Pharaoh,  being  a  righteous  man,  established  his  kingdom 
and  judged  his  people  wisely  and  justly  all  his  days,  seeking 
earnestly  to  imitate  that  order  established  by  the  fathers  in  the 
first  generations,  in  the  days  of  the  first  patriarchal  reign,  even 
the  reign  of  Adam,  and  also  of  Noah,  his  father,  who  blessed 
him  with  the  blessings  of  the  earth,  and  with  the  blessings  of 
wisdom,  but  cursed  him  as  pertaining  to  the  Priesthood.  Now, 
Pharaoh  being  of  the  lineage  by  which  he  could  not  have  the 
right  of  Priesthood,  notwithstanding  the  Pharaohs  would  fain 
claim  it  from  Noah,  through  Ham,  therefore  my  father  was 
led  away  by  their  idolatry."  (Book  of  Abraham,  1:25-27). 

The  Lord  did  not  tell  Abraham  that  the  children  of 
Ham  were  cursed  as  pertaining  to  the  Priesthood,  and  then 
command  Joseph  Smith  of  the  "Reorganization"  to  be  slow 
in  ordaining  them.  In  the  "Reorganized"  Church  they  have 
a  few,  at  least,  of  the  negro  race,  that  they  have  "ordained 
to  the  priesthood"  but  it  is  contrary  to  the  word  of  God. 
This  Reorganite  revelation  is  spurious. 

Here  is  an  extract  from  another: 

"The  quorum  of  twelve,  my  servants,  may  choose  and  ap- 
point one  of  their  number  to  take  the  place  of  my  servant 
Alexander  H.  Smith,  and  if  they  shall  choose  William  H.  Kclley, 
from  among  them  for  this  place,  it  will  be  pleasing  unto  me; 
NEVERTHELESS,  IF  directed  by  the  spirit  of  revelation  and  wisdom 
they  may  choose  another."  (Sec.  124:3). 

Can  any  sane  man  believe  that  the  Lord  gave  this  "rev- 
elation?" Did  He  not  know  His  mind  and  will,  was  not 
His  the  "spirit  of  revelation  and  wisdom?"  or  was  there 
a  disagreement  on  the  point  between  the  Lord  and  the  Holy 
Spirit? 

Other  extracts  might  be  given  from  these  alleged  "rev- 
elations" showing  their  inconsistency,  but  this  will  suffice. 
I  have  not  given  these  in  the  spirit  of  ridicule,  but  for  the 
purpose  of  opening  the  eyes  of  the  blind  that  they  might 
see,  and  seeing  understand.  Let  our  friends  straighten  out 
a  few  things  of  this  kind  among  themselves,  then  they  can 
the  better  attack  us  on  the  point  of  revelation. 

At  this  point  I  desire  to  consider  another  matter.  At 
the  Salt  Lake  Conference,  held  March  19,  1905,  not  long 


REVELATION.  131 

after  the  return  of  President  Joseph  F-  Smith  from  the  in- 
vestigation in  Washington,  he  addressed  the  Saints  on  the 
subject  of  revelation.  In  the  course  of  his  remarks,  he  re- 
ferred to  his  testimony  and  said : 

"Now,  with  reference  to  the  principle  and  doctrine  of  reve- 
lation, it  may  be  proper  for  me  to  say  a  few  words  on  this 
subject  while  I  am  on  my  feet.  For  me  to  say,  which  was  the 
very  end  that  my  critics  and  inquisitors  were  endeavoring  to 
get  me  to  say,  in  order  that  I  might  be  led  into  that  trap  which 
they  had  made  for  me,  to  say  that  God  had  given  to  me  a  reve- 
lation upon  some  new  doctrine,  or  theory,  or  principle,  or  pre- 
cept, or  anything  to  be  written,  to  be  observed,  or  handed  down 
as  a  guide  to  the  Church,  would  have  been  untrue.  I  could 
not  have  said  that,  for  He  has  not  done  this.  But  has  God  re- 
vealed to  me  His  mind  and  His  will?  Has  He  made  manifest  to 
me  a  knowledge  of  His  truth  by  and  through  the  Spirit  of  reve- 
lation? Did  you  ever  hear  of  my  denying  that?  No;  no  man 
has  ever  heard  me  deny  that. 

When  I  was  baptized  as  a  little  child,  right  up  here  at  the 
junction  of  East  Temple  and  North  Temple  streets,  where  City 
Creek  then  ran,  but  where  it  is  now  covered  and  obliterated — 
when  I  was  baptized  into  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
days  Saints,  God  Almighty  revealed  to  me  that  I  had  done  an  act 
which  He  approved;  I  received  then  and  there  a  revelation 
from  Almighty  God,  that  has  been  with  me  like  a  well  of  liv- 
ing water,  springing  up  into  everlasting  life  in  me,  which  has 
been  a  stay  and  a  staff  to  me  in  all  my  daily  walks,  at  home  and 
abroad.  God  revealed  to  me  that  Joseph  Smith  was  a  Prophet 
of  God,  that  his  message  was  divine,  that  he  was  raised  up  by 
the  power  of  the  Almighty  to  lay  the  foundation  of  this  great 
latter-day  work.  The  Lord  has  revealed  to  me  the  truth  that 
he  sealed  his  testimony  with  his  blood,  that  he  was  true  to  the 
end,  as  was  the  Son  of  God,  true  until  he  cried,  'It  is  enough!' 
upon  the  cross.  The  Lord  has  revealed  to  me  in  terms  that 
are  unmistakable  and  that  are  undeniable,  that  Brigham  Young 
succeeded  lawfully  and  divinely  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  by  the  will  of  the  Almighty. 
I  would  not  he  without  that  revelation  for  all  the  gold  and  wealth 
of  the  world.  The  Lord  revealed  to  me  in  terms  that  cannot  be 
mistaken,  by  me  at  least,  that  John  Taylor  was  inspired  of  the 
Lord  and  was  a  Prophet  of  God,  and  was  the  lawful  and  divine 
successor  in  the  Priesthood  and  Presidency  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  to  Brigham  Young.  The  Lord 
revealed  to  me  that  Wilford  Woodruff  lawfully  and  divinely  suc- 
ceeded John  Taylor,  that  Lorenzo  Snow  lawfully  and  divinely 
followed  Wilford  Woodruff.  I  leave  to  you  to  say  whether  the 
Lord  willed,  and  whether  it  is  lawful  and  right,  that  I  should  be 
in  the  position  in  which  God  has  suffered  me  to  be  placed.  *  * 


132  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

"The  Lord  Almighty  has  revealed  to  me  many  things  for  my  own 
guidance,  to  assist  me  in  the  discharge  of  my  ditty,  as  an  elder 
in  the  Church,  as  a  high  priest  in  the  Church,  as  an  apostle, 
one  of  the  twelve  apostles  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints.  And  I  fervently  believe  that  God  has  mani- 
fested to  me  in  my  present  capacity,  many  glorious  things, 
many  principles  and  oftentimes  much  more  wisdom  than  is 
inherent  in  myself;  and  I  believe  He  will  continue  to  do  so  as 
long  as  I  am  receptive,  as  long  as  I  am  in  a  position  to  hear 
when  He  speaks,  to  listen  when  He  calls,  and  to  receive  when 
He  gives  to  me  that  which  He  desires." 

These  remarks  were  taken  up,  twisted,  and  falsified 
by  a  Salt  Lake  newspaper,  which  is  so  characterless  and 
vile  that  it  is  without  an  equal,  and  sent  out  into  the  world  as 
a  press  dispatch,  declaring  that  President  Joseph  F.  Smith 
had  in  the  Tabernacle  confessed  that  he  had  lied  before  the 
Senate  Committee  on  Privileges  and  Elections,  in  relation 
to  the  subject  of  revelation  when  he  was  a  witness  before 
said  committee.  They  made  it  appear  in  their  dispatch  that 
he  had  stated  in  Washington  that  he  had  not  received  any 
revelation,  and  in  the  Tabernacle  he  declared  that  that  was 
false  for  he  had  received  many  of  them.  He  testified  in 
Washington  as  he  testified  in  the  Tabernacle,  that  he  had  re- 
ceived revelation,  as  this  will  show : 

Mr.  Tayler:  Did  Joseph  Smith  contend  that  always  there 
was  a  visible  appearance  of  the  Almighty  or  of  an  angel? 

Mr.  Smith.     No,  sir:  he  did  not. 

,Mr.  Tayler.  How  otherwise  did  he  claim  to  receive  reve- 
lations? 

Mr.   Smith.      By  the   Spirit   of   the   Lord. 

Mr.  Tayler.  And  in  that  way,  such  revelations  as  you  have 
received,  you  have  had  them? 

Mr.    Smith.     Yes,   sir.      (Investigation,   Vol.    1:100). 

Without  waiting  to  verify  this  falsehood  circulated 
from  an  unspeakable  source -in  Salt  Lake  City,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  "Reorganization,"  as  editor  of  the  Saints'  Herald 
took  up  the  hue  and  cry  with  evident  great  pleasure  and 
wrote  an  editorial  consigning  President  Joseph  F.  Smith 
to  perdition  as  a  perjurer  in  the  following  words : 

"Who  Make  and  Love  a  Lie." 

"If  President  Joseph  F.  Smith  has  stated  in  public  what  it 
is  currently  reported  he  has,  that  in  the  statements  made  by  him 


"WHO  MAKE  AND  LOVE  A  LIE."  133 

when  a  witness  before  the  Senatorial  Committee,  whose  sittings 
for  inquiry  have  lately  been  finished,  the  report  of  which  in 
regard  to  the  unseating  of  Senator  Smoot  is  awaited,  he  testi- 
fied to  that  which  was  not  true,  he  has  done  an  unfortunate  and 
unwise  thing.  There  may  have  been  some  moral  bravery  in  do- 
ing as  he  did  in  stating  that  he  was  breaking  the  law  of  the 
State,  the  law  of  the  United  States,  and  the  law  of  God  by 
continuing  to  live  with  his  five  wives;  and  such  boldness  may 
have  made  some  admirers  of  the  President  of  the  Utah  Church; 
but,  when  that  president  publicly  states  that  he  lied  when  he 
gave  his  evidence  before  the  Senatorial  Committee,  those  who 
may  have  admired  him  for  his  avowal  of  his  guilt  will  not, 
cannot  admire  him  as  a  confessed  perjurer.  It  may  be  said  that 
President  Joseph  F.  Smith  did  not  make  oath  to  what  was 
false,  as  he  was  not  sworn,  that  is,  no  judicial  oath  was  ad- 
ministered to  him,  but,  when  a  witness  chooses  to  affirm  that 
privilege  is  granted  by  the  courts;  the  form  of  the  affirmation 
is  much  like  this:  'I  do  solemnly  affirm,  subject  to  the  pains 
and  penalties  of  perjury,  that  the  testimony  I  shall  give  in  the 
case  now  pending  *  *  *  shall  be  the  truth,  the  whole  truth, 
and  nothing  but  the  truth.'  If  President  Joseph  F.  Smith  faced 
the  committee  on  such  an  affirmation,  and  gave  false  testimony, 
can  it  be  called  anything  but  perjury?  We  think  not. 

"We  were  surprised  when  he  testified  as  he  did;  we  now 
are  more  surprised  to  learn  that  he  has  said  that  he  affirmed 
what  was  not  true.  What  can  honorable  men  in  or  out  of  the 
Church  think  of  such  a  man?  What  reliance  can  be  placed 
on  what  such  a  man  declares?  If  he  sought  by  falsehood  to 
avoid  falling  into  a  "trap"  set  for  him  before  the  committee, 
by  confessing  that  he  did  so  falsify,  he  has  assuredly  fallen 
into  a  more  open  and  dangerous  one."  (Saints'  Herald,  Vol. 
52:314-315). 

baacaou 

Immediately  after  this  editorial  appeared  in  the  Saints' 
Herald  the  attention  of  the  editor,  Joseph  Smith,  was  called 
to  the  fact  that  it  was  based  on  a  falsehood.  Among  others 
who  requested  him  to  correct  the  wrong  and  injustice  he  had 
inflicted  on  his  people  as  well  as  on  President  Smith,  was 
the  writer,  who  immediately  forwarded  a  protest  with  a 
clipping  from  a  non-"Mormon"  Utah  paper  correcting  the 
false  report.  Others  wrote  to  him  on  the  same  subject,  but 
no  satisfactory  correction  was  ever  made.  This  was  very  un- 
christianlike  conduct ;  surely  not  the  part  of  a  prophet  of  the 
Lord !  It  is  true,  that  in  a  later  editorial  he  quoted  a  portion 
of  the  remarks  of  President  Joseph  F.  Smith  delivered  at 
that  conference,  but  without  apology  or  correction  for  bear- 


134  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

ing  false  witness.    This  is  the  comment  following  the  brief 
extract  he  saw  fit  to  give : 

"We  give  these  extracts  from  President  Joseph  F.  Smith's 
talk  on  the  afternoon  of  March  19,  1905,  on  the  subject  of  reve- 
lation, as  they  contain  the  statements  on  which  the  charge  is 
based  that  he  contradicted  and  denied  what  he  testified  to  be- 
fore the  Territorial  (Investigation)  Committee,  offering  no 
comment  upon  them,  leaving  those  who  read  them  to  judge  of 
them  without  the  bias  of  an  expression  from  us." 

Surely  his  sense  of  fairness  after  making  such  an  accus- 
ation, should  have  demanded  of  him  more  than  this. 

The  following  letter,  which,  under  the  circumstances,  is 
worthy  of  producing,  was  forwarded  to  him  also  requesting 
that  justice  be  done,  but  it  was  ignored  absolutely: 

Salt  Lake  City,  April  5,  1905. 
Joseph  Smith,  Esq., 

Editor,  "The  Saints'  Herald," 
Lamoni,  Iowa. 

My   Dear   Sir: 

I  was  very  greatly  surprised  to  notice  in  the  issue  of  the 
"Herald"  of  March  29,  1905,  your  editorial  entitled,  "Who  Make 
and  Love  a  Lie."  I  am  surprised  because  of  the  plainly  im- 
plied accusation  that  President  Joseph  F.  Smith  is  a  maker  and 
lover  of  lies.  I  am  surprised  because  of  the  unfairness  of  the 
article  referred  to  which  will  take  for  granted  the  statement 
of  a  man's  bitterest  foe  and  place  that  statement  before  his 
people,  commenting  upon  it  as  if  it  were  an  admitted  fact,  with- 
out one  word  of  explanation  from  the  person  so  wickedly  ac- 
cused, or  a  single  effort  to  present  both  sides.  I  am  surprised 
because  such  an  article  appears  in  a  periodical  which  is  the  or- 
gan of  a  religious  organization  claiming  to  have  sprung  out 
of  the  work  founded  by  the  great  prophet  who,  "came  up  through 
much  tribulation,"  and  who  was  misrepresented  through  all  his 
days  upon  the  earth. 

"I  am  surprised  that  a  man  whose  early  years  were  spent 
in  the  sorrows  and  privations  incident  to  the  persecutions  suf- 
fered by  a  father  whose  whole  life  was  spent  in  sorrow  and 
affliction,  in  consequence  of  the  false  testimony  borne  against 
him  and  the  constant  misrepresentation  of  his  mission,  should 
allow  himself  to  pass  judgment  upon  another  before  hearing 
his  defense,  and  rinding  him  guilty  of  "an  unfortunate  and  un- 
wise thing,"  forgetting  the  wise  proverb,  "He  who  judgeth  a 
matter  before  he  heareth  it,  is  not  wise." 


"WHO  MAKE  AND  LOVE  A  LIE."  135 

"It  is  true,  the  article  begins  with  the  expression — "If  Presi- 
dent Joseph  F.  Smith  has  stated  in  public,"  etc.,  etc.,  but  the 
remainder  of  the  article  clearly  assumes  that  it  is  sure  that  he 
did  so  state,  as  note:  "but,  when  the  President  publicly  states 
that  he  lied  when  he  gave  his  evidence,'  *  *  *  those  who 
(previously)  admired  him.  *  *  *  *  cannot  admire  him  as  a 
confessed  perjurer. 

"President  Joseph  F.  Smith  has  never  stated  in  public  nor 
in  private  that  he  lied  when  he  gave  his  evidence  or  at  any 
other  time,  and  he  is  not  a  confessed,  nor  any  other  kind  of 
a  perjurer,  and  I  must  repeat  that  I  am  surprised  that  any  man 
claiming  to  be  fair,  and  to  be  an  example  of  truthfulness,  should 
follow  in  the  steps  of  men  who  indeed  "love  and  make  lies," 
as  you  well  know. 

"Does  it  occur  to  you  that  there  is  anything  in  the  nature 
of  loving  a  lie  when  a  person  repeats  the  lies  of  others  and  takes 
pleasure  in  assuming  the  false  accusations  are  true? — or  that 
there  is  anything  in  the  nature  of  'making  a  lie'  when  a  person 
takes  the  lying  testimony  of  a  man's  foes  and  places  it  before 
his  people  without  giving  them  the  opportunity  of  judging  the 
matter  by  knowing  both  sides? 

"It  was  by  such  specious  falsehoods  that  the  life  of  the 
Prophet  Joseph  was  repeatedly  placed  in  danger.  It  was  by 
such  false  testimony  that  the  Son  of  Man  was  condemned  by 
the  Priests,  the  Rabbis,  the  Scribes  and  the  Pharisees. 

"You  ask,  'What  can  honorable  men,  in  or  out  of  the 
Church,  think  of  such  a  man?' 

"Let  me  say  in  reply  to  your  question : — honorable  men 
and  men  of  wisdom,  who  love  the  truth,  in  or  out  of  the 
Church,  seek  to  know  the  truth  before  joining  with  the  rabble 
in  the  cry,  'Crucify  him!  Crucify  him!'  and  such  men,  who 
know  the  facts,  and  who  love  not  a  lie,  but  love  the  truth  and 
the  Lord  its  maker,  honor  and  revere  the  man  whom  your 
article  so  subtly  defames.  They  know  him  to  be  an  upright, 
true,  pure,  honorable  man,  whose  simple  life  has  been  before 
his  people  all  his  days,  whose  heart  is  true,  whose  tongue  is 
true,  whose  courage  is  undaunted,  whose  faith  is  unshaken,  and 
who  is,  in  all  respects,  worthy  of  the  love,  confidence  and  sup- 
port of  the  people  of  the  living  God. 

"In  order  that  you  may  not  fall  under  the  dreadful  charge 
of  'Loving  and  Making  a  Lie,'  will  you  publish,  for  the  infor- 
mation of  the  readers  of  the  'Herald,'  the  other  side  of  this 
matter  if  it  is  furnished  you? 

"It  is  not  my  habit  to  take  up  matters  of  this  kind,  and  if 
these  accusations  had  been  made  against  myself,  I  should  never 
have  noticed  them,  but  knowing  what  a  great  injustice  your 
article  does  to  a  good  and  noble  man — my  true  friend  and 
brother — I  felt  impelled  to  call  your  attention  to  it,  in  the  hope 


136  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

that  your  sense  of  fairness  would  cause  you  to  do  simple  justice, 
and  not  join  in  the  hue  and  cry  of  those  who  'Make  and  Love 
a  Lie.'" 

Yours  truly, 
THOMAS    HULL." 

He  failed  absolutely,  when  the  evidence  was  furnished 
him,  to  justly,  honorably,  make  the  matter  right.  There  is 
some  degree  of  commendation  due  the  man  who  maligns 
another  if  he  is  willing  to  make  amends,  and  we  can  honor 
a  man  who  will  correct  an  error  when  he  discovers  that  fact 
and  is  willing  to  make  full  satisfaction ;  but  little  respect  can 
be  had  for  one  who,  after  wronging  another,  will  not  attempt 
to  light  it  when  he  learns  he  is  wrong.  Abraham  Lincoln 
said  in  his  debate  with  Douglas,  that  there  was  a  moral 
rule,  "That  persons  who  tell  what  they  do  not  know  to  be 
true,  falsify  as  much  as  those  who  knowingly  tell  false- 
hoods." We  leave  the  matter  in  the  hand  of  a  Just  Judge, 
who  will  judge  all  men  according  to  their  works. 

WHO   ORDAINED  BRIGHAM  YOUNG. 

The  following  is  from  the  Deseret  News,  May  n,  /po/. 

A  correspondent  writing  from  Parker,  Idaho,  requests 
a  reply,  through  the  columns  of  the  "News"  to  the  question, 
"By  whom  was  President  Young  ordained  to  the  Presidency 
of  the  Church?"  It  appears  that  the  emissaries  of  the  Re- 
organite  Church  have  discovered  in  that  question  a  fruitful 
source  of  sophistical  controversy,  and  that  they  are  tri- 
umphantly asking  it  wherever  they  go. 

The  proper  reply  is,  he  was  ordained  by  the  Prophet 
Joseph  to  that  calling,  when  the  Prophet,  prompted  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  conferred  upon  the  Twelve  Apostles  the  power 
and  authority,  he  himself  had  received.  The  following  state- 
ment of  facts  by  Elder  Joseph  F.  Smith,  Jr.,  can  be  verified 
by  the  authentic  records  of  the  Church : 

"The  Prophet  Joseph  earnestly  desired  that  his  brother 
Hyrum  should  live  to  succeed  him  in  the  Presidency  of  the 
Church.  In  the  year  1841,  by  command  of  the  Lord,  he 
ordained  him  to  this  exalted  position,  as  is  quite  evident  from 


"WHO  ORDAINED  BRIGHAM  YOUNG?"  137 

the  following,  Section  124,  verses  94-5,  of  the  Doctrine  and 
Covenants : 

"And  from  this  time  forth  I  appoint  unto  him  (Hyrum 
Smith)  that  he  may  be  a  prophet,  and  a  seer,  and  a  revelator 
unto  my  Church  as  well  as  my  servant  Joseph. 

"That  he  may  act  in  concert  also  with  my  servant  Joseph, 
and  that  he  shall  receive  counsel  from  my  servant  Joseph,  who 
shall  show  unto  him  the  keys  whereby  he  may  ask  and  re- 
ceive, and  be  crowned  with  the  same  blessing  and  glory,  and 
honor,  and  Priesthood,  and  gifts  of  the  Priesthood,  that  onc.% 
were  put  upon  him  that  was  my  servant  Oliver  Cowdery." 

From  this  revelation  we  learn  that  the  Lord  appointed 
Hyrum  Smith  both  as  Patriarch  and  to  act  in  concert  with 
his  brother  Joseph  in  the  Presidency  of  the  Church.  In  ac- 
cordance with  this  revelation,  Hyrum  was  so  ordained  Jan- 
uary 24,  1841.  This  was  not  in  the  sense  of  a  counselor  to 
Joseph,  for  at  this  very  appointment  Hyrum  was  removed 
as  counselor  to  the  President  and  William  Law  was  or- 
dained in  his  stead. 

Joseph  and  Hyrum  continued  to  so  act  from  this  time 
forth  until  their  martyrdom,  June  27,  1844.  Shortly  before 
the  martyrdom  the  Prophet  tried  with  all  his  power  to  per- 
suade Hyrum  not  to  accompany  him  to  Carthage,  knowing 
full  well  the  fate  that  awaited  them  there.  Had  Hyrum 
stayed  behind,  and  thereby  remained  in  mortality,  he  would, 
by  virtue  of  his  position  and  ordination  received  in  1841, 
have  become  the  president  of  the  Church.  His  brother  in- 
tended that  this  should  be  (Times  and  Seasons,  5:683), 
but  through  his  faithfulness  to,  and  love  for,  his  brother, 
Hyrum  fell  a  martyr  before  the  Prophet  Joseph  did. 

Now  mark !  The  Lord,  who  knew  that  Hyrum  should 
receive  a  martyr's  crown  at  Carthage,  in  the  winter  of  1843- 
4,  commanded  the  Prophet  to  confer  upon  the  heads  of  the 
Twelve  Apostles,  every  key,  power,  and  principle,  that  the 
Lord  had  sealed  upon  his  head.  The  Prophet  declared  that 
he  knew  not  why,  but  the  Lord  commanded  him  to  endow 
the  Twelve  with  these  keys  and  Priesthood,  and  after  it 
was  done,  he  rejoiced  very  much,  saying  in  substance,  "Now, 
if  they  kill  me,  you  have  all  the  keys  and  all  the  ordinances 
and  you  can  confer  them  upon  others,  and  the  powers  of 


138  THE  DOCTRINES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH. 

Satan  will  not  be  able  to  tear  down  the  kingdom  as  fast  as 
you  will  be  able  to  build  it  up,  and  upon  your  shoulders 
will  the  responsibility  of  leading  this  people  rest."  (Times 
and  Seasons,  5:651). 

In  this  manner  the  Prophet  ordained  the  Twelve  Apos- 
tles, which  body  constitutes  the  second  quorum  of  the 
Church,  equal  in  authority  with  the  First  Presidency.  (Doc. 
&  Cov.,  107 : 23-24)  with  the  keys  of  the  kingdom,  Brigham 
Young  was  president  of  the  Twelve,  and  upon  him  devolved 
the  duty  of  presiding. 

Therefore,  after  the  death  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith, 
the  Twelve  assumed  by  authority  of  their  office,  the  duty 
to  preside  over  the  Church.  Later,  when  through  revela- 
tion the  quorum  of  the  First  Presidency  was  reorganized 
with  three  presidents — Brigham  Young  and  Counselors  Heb- 
er  C.  Kimball  and  Willard  Richards,  they  claimed,  and 
rightfully,  that  since  they  were  ordained  under  the  hands 
of  Joseph  Smith  and  from  him  had  received  all  the  keys 
and  powers  of  the  Priesthood  which  the  Prophet  held,  it 
would  have  been  superfluous  to  have  been  ordained  again. 
They  were  in  this  capacity,  however,  set  apart  and  sustained 
by  the  unanimous  vote  of  the  Saints,  which  was  essential  to 
make  such  ordination  of  force  in  the  Church. 

There  is  an  abundance  of  testimony  to  prove  that  the 
Prophet  did  so  ordain  the  Twelve,  some  of  which  can  be 
found  in  the  Times  and  Seasons,  volume  5,  pages  651,  664, 
and  698;  also  in  the  Millennial  Star,  volume  10,  page  115. 

We  repeat  that  Brigham  Young  received  all  the  keys, 
powers,  authority  and  Priesthood,  that  were  held  by  Joseph 
Smith,  that  enabled  him  to  preside  over  the  High  Priesthood, 
from  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  in  Nauvoo  in  the  winter  of 
1843-4." 

This  important  question  was  settled  long  ago  by  the 
entire  body  of  the  Saints  who  accepted  the  leadership  of  the 
Twelve,  after  the  departure  of  the  Prophet  and  Patriarch, 
and  sustained  President  Young  in  his  office.  It  was  settled 
by  the  approval  of  the  Almighty  of  the  marvelous  work  He 
accomplished,  and  which  could  not  have  been  done  without 
divine  aid  and  guidance.  To  ascribe  the  mighty  deeds  Brig- 
ham  Young  performed  through  the  power  of  the  divine 


"WHO  ORDAINED  BRIGHAM  YOUNG?"  139 

Spirit  which  rested  upon  him,  to  the  spirit  that  is  the  origin- 
ator of  succession,  rebellion,  apostasy,  and  falsehood,  is  to 
come  dangerously  near  blasphemy.  What  is  it  but  a  repe- 
tition of  the  sin  of  the  adversaries  of  our  Lord  who,  al- 
though they  knew  that  "no  man  can  do  the  miracles  that 
thou  doest,  except  God  be  with  him"  (John  3:2):  yet 
proclaimed  to  the  people:  "He  hath  an  unclean  spirit," 
(Mark  3:30).  What  is  it  but  to  assail  the  disciple  with  a 
weapon  that  was  in  vain  directed  against  the  Master  ?  There 
was  some  excuse  for  difference  of  opinion  on  the  subject 
of  succession,  immediately  after  the  martyrdom,  because  the 
people  were  not  in  possession  of  full  information,  but  there 
is  no  excuse  now.  To  use  a  familiar  illustration:  At 
the  time  of  an  election  citizens  are  expected  to  have  dif- 
ferent opinions  as  to  candidates  for  office ;  they  are  expected 
to  work  for  those  whose  views  and  principles  they  support. 
But  when  the  question  is  settled  at  the  polls,  loyalty  demands 
that  all  accept  the  verdict  and  work  together  for  the  com- 
mon interests  of  the  community.  The  body  of  the  Latter- 
day  Saints  having  accepted,  as  guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
the  leadership  of  the  Twelve,  there  was  no  longer  any  valid 
reason  for  seeking  the  leadership  of  other  shepherds. 

The  trouble  with  some  of  our  "Reorganized"  brethren 
is  that  they  look  upon  the  members  of  the  Church  as  a 
flock  of  sheep,  that,  like  other  property,  can  be  inherited. 
This  is  entirely  contrary  to  the  fundamental  principles  of  the 
Gospel.  The  Church  belongs  to  Christ.  The  leaders  and 
officers  are  the  servants  of  the  Lord  and  the  people  of  the 
Lord.  It  follows  that  the  Lord  raises  up  whoever  He  pleas- 
es, to  perform  the  services  necessary  from  time  to  time. 
Brigham  Young  was  every  way  equipped  for  the  peculiar 
work  needed  during  his  time.  Who  could  have  done  what 
he  did?  Sidney  Rigdon?  Lyman  Wight?  James  J.  Strang? 
Or  the  founders  of  the  so-called  "Reorganized"  Church? 
Let  the  reader  reflect  on  the  facts  history  records,  and  then 
decide  for  himself,  remembering  that  every  tree  is  known  by 
its  fruit. 


I?: 


